• Question: why do we have dreams or nightmares?

    Asked by ilaholowayx to Adrian, Iroise, Joe, Rachel, Ria on 10 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Joe Bathelt

      Joe Bathelt answered on 10 Nov 2016:

      There are different theories why we dream. The one that is currently most supported is that dreams are there to help us to learn new information.
      Our brains adapt to the things that we learn throughout the day. This happens through the strengthening of connections between the nerve cells. It also biases us towards the things that we have learned. If this went on, then we would just focus on the things that we had already learned without taking on new information. Dreaming is probably the brain’s housekeeping mode. It sifts through the things that we have learned and transfers the important things to a more permanent storage. Then, it resets the playing field so that we can take on new information.

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