Dreams+Theme+Research

=__**Dreams: Why do we dream?**__=

=//Intro//= The question of why we dream is an abstract topic and can be interpreted in many ways. Psychologists and physiologists have tried to determine what a dream actually is, how we dream, why we have different types of dreams, and the actual purpose of dreams. One belief is that we dream to make connections between different thoughts and emotions in a safe environment. One example of this theory is Walter Mitty in James Thurber's __The Secret Life of Walter Mitty__. He used his dreams to escape the hostile real world and express his desire to be something larger than what he really is.

=//What is a dream?//= Thousands of years ago, dreams were seen as messages from the gods. Now, however, we know that dreams are a succession of images, thoughts, and emotions passing through the mind during sleep (according to dictionary.com). Dreams occur in periods of rapid eye movement (REM) by the sleeper, when the cortex of the brain is roughly as active as in waking hours. Dreams occupy about a fifth of sleeping time, during which adult humans spend a quarter of their sleep time in REM, much of it dreaming. During that time, the body is essentially paralyzed but the brain is buzzing. Dreaming itself is associated with a hormone called norepinephrine. The order and length of dreaming and non-dreaming periods during sleep appear to be regular, and there seem to be associations between these patterns and the emotional state of the individual before going to sleep. Dreaming is a mixture of real and imaginary characters, places, and events playing while we are asleep.

//__Dream Definition__. Dictionary.com. 10 Apr. 2009 . dream. Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia. Helicon Publishing. 2005. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. HIGHLANDS RANCH HIGH SCHOOL. 07 Apr 2009. . "Brain Waves & Brainwave Entrainment." __SleepWarrior.com__. 10 Apr. 2009 . Kantrowitz, Barbara; Springen, Karen. "WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF." Newsweek. 09 Aug 2004. 40. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. HIGHLANDS RANCH HIGH SCHOOL. 07 Apr 2009. . dream. Compton's by Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2005. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. HIIGHLANDS RANCH HIGH SCHOOL. 07 Apr 2009. .//

=//How do we dream//= How dreams are actually created is a disputed topic with many theories. One known fact about dreams is that vivid-story like dreams only occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. According to California State University, 80-100% of people awakened during REM sleep reported that they were dreaming at the time of awakening. A study performed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science reports that dreams are built from the ground up based off of recent experiences, and other pieces are added from your imagination. Reports also suggest that even though humans may have four to seven separate dreams per night, you may not remember any of them. Five minutes after awakening, most people forget half of their dream. After ten minutes, most people have forgotten 90% of their dream. The reason why we forget our dreams so quickly has been theorized about for years and is still undefined today.

//http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/%7Ervisalda/sleep-stages.gif

Evans-Martin, F. Fay. "REM sleep." The Nervous System, Your Body: How It Works. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2004. Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE40&SID=5&iPin= YBNS0245&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 10, 2009).

Wren, Kathleen. "How the brain turns reality into dreams." MSNBC. October 12, 2001. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 10 Apr 2009

Obringer, Lee Ann. "How Dreams Work." How Stuff Works. 2009. 10 Apr 2009//

=//Dreams vs Nightmares//= Dreams can depict minor internal struggles. Nightmares can manifest in fear and panic. “Dreaming is our own storytelling time to help us know who we are, where we're going and how we're going to get there." Dreams can be related to good things, such as religion. Nightmares can be brought on by stress, bad food, and even scary movies. The average nightmare is scary, but a person can get over it. The average dream can be anything good. The difference between dreams and nightmares is minute, but it can make a world of difference. ”It seems unnecessary for anxious parents of children at this age to fear that infants and newborn children are experiencing frightening dreams or nightmares .” (2)

//(1) Murray, John B.. "Children's dreams.." ELibrary.com. 2009. 10 Apr 2009 (2)// //Kantrowitz, Barbara. "WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF."////ELibrary.com. 2009. 10 Apr 2009// = =
 * // Why do we dream? //**

Why do we dream? "It is said that we dream because we want our brain to grow, and they grow by our neurons getting excited," said by a writer from opposing viewpoints. A thought from Sigmund Freud who is a Psychoanalytic, is that a dream is a representation of unconscious desires, thoughts and motivations. We dream during our Rapid Eye Movement (REM) part of our sleep. The reason we dream from a physiological theory is that we dream to exercise the synapses, or pathways between our brain cells, and that dreaming takes over when the active brain goes to sleep. From the psychological point of view, they believe that our dreams come from the emotions, or the events of the day you have had. Dreams can teach us things about ourselves that we don’t know or that we are unaware of. //  **__[|benazirsyahril.blogspot.com/2007/12/to-be-hon...]__**

Just ask us." __Current Health 2, a Weekly Reader publication__ 27.1 (Sept 2000): 4. __Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center__. Gale. Highlands Ranch High School. 8 Apr. 2009 ////"Why Do We Dream - Theories of Why We Dream." __Ask.com Search Engine - Better Web Search__. 08 Apr. 2009 .

"Why do we dream?" __Cool Quiz! Trivia, Quizzes, Puzzles, Jokes, Useless Knowledge, FUN!__ 08 Apr. 2009 .//

=//Conclusion//=

Through all of the different topics we have explored about dreams, we need to realize that dreams are an abstract topic that can be interpreted in many different ways. Our example of Walter Mitty shows that he escaped from all of the hardships of his life by dreaming. Dreaming is an escape route from the real world.