Is dreaming necessary?

[Lobotomy]

Necessary for maintaining any kind of sanity in humans, that is?

[Nox]

I assume that by dreaming you mean imagining what you want your future to be like.

I'm not sure we would go insane without it, but dreaming in that sense definitely has a positive effect because it makes people want to work hard, study hard and become what they want.

"Anything is possible" really isn't an understatement. If you want to be an astronaut when you're older, that dream influences the choices you make and makes you alot more likely to actually become an astronaut.

[Lobotomy]

I meant actually dreaming while asleep.

[Kamos]

As far as I know, modern science doesn't yet know entirely why dreams are necessary. However, judging from the fact that I don't remember a notable minority of my dreams shortly after waking up, or only very hazily (I'd say 25%), I'd say that it's really unnecessary and probably serves an arbitrary function.

[ColonelCossack]

I heard that dream-deprived people certainly have ill-effects due to their dream-depravation... I heard little kids have nightmares to prepare them for the outside world. I think it's got something to do with REM sleep- whether dreams are a side effect of REM, or if they are an integral part of it, I don't know.

[bcbm]

dreams occur during rem sleep and this is necessary for survival, yes. why is unclear, but it is, even if you don't remember the dreams (this is natural).

[Os Cangaceiros]

There's a theory that your brain just kind of fires over random bits of data during your sleep, and your brain then tries to organize some of these seemingly random bits into a narrative of sorts. That's would explain why dreams are often so strange or don't make any sense.

[jake williams]

It may well be that the dreams themselves are not necessary, but they are a byproduct of neurological activity that is itself necessary. It might be that those who are "dream deprived" are in fact deprived of other aspects of sleep which are necessary for the ordinary function of the brain.

[Lobotomy]

However, judging from the fact that I don't remember a notable minority of my dreams shortly after waking up, or only very hazily (I'd say 25%), I'd say that it's really unnecessary and probably serves an arbitrary function.

There's could be a difference between dreaming but not recalling it vs. not dreaming at all, though.

[Misanthrope]

It's essential for memory.

[Zukunftsmusik]

It's essential for memory.

And for learning, for example. The mind "uses" dreams for dealing with both psychological and physical challenges. I've seen a documentary about dreams once. There was this guy who was given some sort of tv game, where he was supposed to move his body to move the character on the screen. He found the game quite difficult. The same night he dreamed about stepping into footprints in the snow. After a while he managed the tv game a lot better.

but if it's necessary for keeping humans sane? Not sure. It doesn't matter really, you can't control it anyway, it's just a natural reaction to life.

[Dogs On Acid]

Reorganization and storage of memory from short-term to long-term areas of the brain seems to have a link to dreaming. Basically when you enter REM sleep your brain "cleans" itself, discarding unnecessary memories for survival and storing important ones.

Lack of sleep has many side-effects such as confusion and problems in judgement, difficulty remembering (long-term memory issues) and overall sensation of tire.

REM sleep is the most essential on the Psychological level, other sleep phases are usually just Rest & Recovery, of the Skeletal Muscles and the Nervous system.

Sleeping has an anabolic effect on muscles (if makes them grow and recover from damage). So yes, sleeping and dreaming is necessary for survival (a healthy one, that is).

[pastradamus]

I do not know much about dreaming withs relations to intellect, sanity, thinkng capacity etc but I do know that I have had good ones and bad ones. Now if only I could remember which I dreamt of!

[Dogs On Acid]

I do not know much about dreaming withs relations to intellect, sanity, thinkng capacity etc but I do know that I have had good ones and bad ones. Now if only I could remember which I dreamt of!

Do as the Greeks did. Hold a notebook next to your bed with a pen. Before you go to sleep tell yourself repeatedly "I shall remember my dream!", after waking from a good session of sleep what's the 1st thing that comes to your mind? It's probably related to your dream, otherwise focus hard on your recent memory. Write it down immediately.

It's interesting, sometimes when I try to focus hard on my last 8 hours of sleep, I remember waking up, going to the bathroom, drinking water, or even rolling around in bed finding a comfortable position. Things that otherwise pass me by.

[StoneFrog]

I dream a lot, so does that make me super smart? Or does it make me dumb for not finding a way to kill those things chasing me?

[scarletghoul]

i dont see why it would be necessary .. as far as i know its just a mashup of things stored in the unconscious, signifiers coordinated with certain desires etc.. but the unconscious exists and seems to store things adequately without the aid of dreams. still, dreams are very interesting and can give us a great insight into the human mind.

[bastart]

hemingway got inspiration to write from lucid dreams

[senoritasmoke]

They're not necessary. But the human brain can't just shut off, unless you're dying. Dreaming is just that your brain is still active while you sleep.

Dreams are just thoughts that are represented weirdly.

[Lynx]

Our perception of dreams may not be necessary, but that in itself cannot answer whether the underlying mechanisms are necessary.