The bizarreness and reality of dreams
Chinese Science Bulletin December 19, 2017 Guo Fei, Chen Zhiyan 2 citations
Dreaming is a universal human experience that occurs across all sleep stages, not just REM sleep. Theories about its function range from viewing dreams as meaningless neural noise to serving adaptive roles like emotional regulation, memory consolidation, problem solving, or threat simulation. The relationship between REM and NREM dream mentation remains debated, with three competing models: a single-generator model, a two-generator model, and a covert REM model. Dreaming is considered a special state of consciousness, and studying its continuity and discontinuity with waking consciousness—especially through lucid dreaming—offers insights into the neural basis of consciousness. Dream research also holds clinical significance in psychiatry and psychology, though methodological challenges persist due to the private nature of dreaming.