Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Reply to comment

A.Kyan's picture

Dreams and Behavior

At the end of Thursday’s class, we left off on the idea of patterns in neuron activity during dream states.  I don’t know much about the neurobiological workings of the brain when asleep, but I do know the quality of my dreams have a huge impact on how my day goes.  When I have distraught dreams of confusing sequences and stressful scenarios, I awake feeling mentally exhausted.  Such dreams occur when I’m feeling overwhelmed or worried.  Luckily, I more often have really fun, vivid dreams that always seem very real.  The other night my boyfriend, Tommy, awoke me in the middle of the night because I was muttering and trying to wrestle something.  I was disappointed that he awoke me because I had just scooped up my mother in one hand to safety and was wrestling a rifle out of something evil with my other hand.  I wanted to finish the job!  Tommy says to me, “You’re a freakin’ superhero in your dreams!”  And, my response was, “Well, aren’t you, too?”  I love to sleep.  In my dreams I can easily have no limitations like flying through the air, visiting magical lands and experiencing new things never imagined before.  When I awake from such dreams I feel invigorated, relaxed, and ready to start the day.  I wonder how brain activity during dream states affects our overall behavior.

Reply

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
1 + 15 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.