Human beings spend one-third of their time sleeping on average. Good sleeping quality functions like a battery charger which refreshes our mind for the next day. Some people, however, grumble dreaming disturbs their sleeping quality. So why do we dream and is it important to us?
Scientists discover that there are 5 stages in the sleeping cycle. Dreaming happens in the final stage, known as the rapid side-to-side eye movement (REM) sleep that generally occurs 90 minutes after sleeping. This involuntary motion is an important memory formation process where the human brain is actively consolidating and transforming new information and emotion arising memories into long-term memories, reinforcing our surviving ability to handle threats. During the process, visual controlling areas are vitalized to create images, the formation of dreams that sometimes triggers feelings. As for the nightmare, it is associated with stress and anxiety.
Although dreaming, or academically referred to REM sleep, usually lasts about 10 minutes for each cycle, it is vital for health and wellness. Studies indicate that people lacking REM sleeping suffer severe side headaches and show abnormalities in the learning and defensive system.