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Robdemanc
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08 Apr 2012, 10:42 am

I have a question about dreams. Everyone has them so everyones answer will be valuable.

I am wondering this:

Are dreams an actual experience that we have during sleep? Or are dreams simply smemories that we recall once we wake up?

I hope that is clear. The difference is that one question implies that dreams are an experience in their own right, the other is that dreams are not experiences but are memories that we can recall.



dizzywater
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08 Apr 2012, 10:49 am

If I understand that right, you are asking if dreams happen while we are asleep, rather than an illusion of what was happening in our brains which occurs only on waking.

If my take on you question is right then studies have shown that periods of rapid eye movement (REM) coincide with dreaming and dreams are only remembered if the person wakes during REM sleep.

Since waking up and not remembering any dream is common then it is unlikely to be a response to the waking process.

Hope that helps.

I am interested in dreams, but only wake remembering one every few months :(



MONKEY
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08 Apr 2012, 11:48 am

It's most probably hallucinations you have while you sleep, and not just a random memory. Although I would consider them an actual experience because my senses are sensing things the whole time as if it was real.


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thedaywalker
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08 Apr 2012, 1:12 pm

isn't all of life just something we recal when were awake rather than something that we actualy experience



naturalplastic
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08 Apr 2012, 1:16 pm

What the above two are saying.

Dreams are shown in real time.

For a couple hours you do experience a mental matinee, as evidenced by rem sleep.

Weve all heard people talk in their sleep.

Even pets seem to run in thier sleep by moving their limbs.

We had a cat that would "talk" in her sleep.

In her waking life she would ream out the larger male cat we had who she considered a trespasser.

She would get in his face and verbally ream him out with a long whining/growling sound.

She would make the exact same sound in her sleep. Like humans animals act out the stresses in their lives in their dreams- apparently!"



Kurgan
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09 Apr 2012, 5:02 pm

Dogs and cats experience about as much REM sleep as humans. :) Allthough it's impossible to tell what they're dreams consist of, many scientists believe that (like humans) they dream about stuff they've learned during the day.



Robdemanc
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10 Apr 2012, 3:09 pm

I am getting quite fed up with my dreams though. I always remember them and they are very vivid. They are always either mundane or very bizarre.

My question was asking if dreams are real time things or are they just our brain making up a memory when we awake.



ruveyn
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10 Apr 2012, 3:44 pm

Robdemanc wrote:
I am getting quite fed up with my dreams though. I always remember them and they are very vivid. They are always either mundane or very bizarre.

My question was asking if dreams are real time things or are they just our brain making up a memory when we awake.


Dreams during REM sleep appear to be in real time.

ruveyn