The jury is still out on why we dream but there are some pretty cool theories out there suggesting dreaming is super important. Some researchers believe dreams are about piecing together the different stimuli from your day so that your brain can make better decisions in the future. Other researchers focus on the unconscious being able to break through during your dream life because the part of your brain that focuses on “rational thought” is deactivated during sleep. A group of other theorists suggest that dreams are just the brain trying to stay busy when it doesn’t have anything else to do. What does seem to be apparent is that dreams are a gateway into understanding your brain and what it likes to focus on. Check out the Ted Ed video below that looks at a number of these theories and helps us to understand why evolution has kept dreaming around.

• FACT: Two groups of participants were given a problem solving maze exercise with a significant shortcut worked in. Both groups were shown the problem. One group was then given 8 hours of awake time to figure it out and the other group was allowed to sleep for 8 hours. Participants who slept were ten times better at completing the maze compared to those that stayed awake between attempts.
• TAKEAWAY: A tremendous amount of learning and processing from our day goes on while we are asleep. We tend to think of sleeping as a waste of time, but in reality it is one of the most important things we do.