How long asleep to dream

Many ancient cultures saw dreams as messages or warnings from the gods. Throughout history, dreams have been regarded as out-of-body explorations for the soul, as a means to communicate with the dead, and as precursors of evil spirits. But contemporary psychologists and neurologists do not all agree about what it means to dream.

Yes, you can dream in all sleep stages, but dreams that are vivid and emotional mostly happen during REM sleep. You are also more likely to experience lucid dreams during REM sleep. Many of us wonder exactly why we dream.

There are no definitive answers, but experts have some theories. Research on dreaming explores both the psychological and neurological purpose of dreaming. Our brains may use the process of dreaming to manage and organize data—through memory consolidation and learning—helping clear the brain to take on a new day. These would also mean that dreams are a response to stimuli gathered throughout the day. But dreams could also be a response to external stimuli that occur during sleep.

Another theory is that dreaming functions as a rehearsal space where the brain readies itself for future real-life experiences and events.

Finally, some argue that dreaming is nothing more than electrical impulses and brain chemicals. Still, dreaming may mean you are getting good sleep because it serves essential functions that make sleep beneficial to the mind. If you ever feel like you might be spending a lot more time dreaming than what is usual for you, it could be that you are experiencing a phenomenon called REM Rebound.

But the difference in the passage of time in a dream state and reality is a complicated problem to study. This is because our judgment in the time passed is subjective and our brain has neurotransmitters to facilitate the waking up process which removes the subjective ability to remember it accurately.

Some insight might come from a study by psychologist Daniel Erlacher , which asked lucid dreamers to complete a simple motor task in a dream state and report how long they believed it took them while being timed in reality. On average, he found that it took participants about 40 per cent longer in a lucid dream state. This may correspond to regular, non-lucid, nighttime dreaming, but there is no way to be exactly sure.

Then again, platypuses experience more REM than any other animal and researchers wonder why, because, as Minnesota's Mahowald puts it, "Platypuses are stupid. What do they have to consolidate? But, given that rats run through dream mazes that precisely match their lab mazes, others feel that there must be some purpose or meaningful information in dreams.

John Antrobus, a retired professor of psychology and sleep research at the City College of New York says that dream content is tied to our anxieties. But he never found the extreme vividness in REM rebound that others assume is there, based on a higher level of brain activity which likely means more action-packed dreams.

For that we have to ask what is the purpose of thought. We can't answer one without answering the other. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. So, there you have it. On average, it should take approximately 90 minutes to start your nightly adventures. But how long it lasts depends on the amount of time you are able to sustain deep REM sleep, so be sure to practice mindfulness and meditation techniques that promote deeper sleep!

Feel free to check out this handy guide for tips on how to ensure your your bedtime is free of stressful nightmares. Or learn how to take control through lucid dreaming. Our team covers as many areas of expertise as we do time zones, but none of us started here as a so-called expert on sleep. What we do share is a willingness to ask questions lots of them , seek experts, and dig deep into conventional wisdom to see if maybe there might be a better path towards healthy living.

We apply what we learn not only to our company culture, but also how we deliver information to our over You live better if you sleep better.