Dreams During REM Sleep

You are sleeping peacefully in the fetal position in the comfort of your own clean, dryer-fresh linens and all of sudden you are plummeting off the edge of cliff, falling a thousand meters a second, your heart drops and your senses slam you awake. Whew! It was just a dream! We all dream at some point, while some of us may dream less frequently or become unable to remember our dreams, we all do so. I will address the scientific term for dreaming, which is REM, or Rapid Eye Movement, the fifth and final phase of sleep (“What is REM Sleep?”). We as humans experience dreams during REM sleeping for several reasons, influenced by psychological and physiological factors, in order to clear the mind, profess suppressed emotions, and to refresh the body. …show more content…
Many times, we will dwell on a daily occurrence and will be unable to let it go, however, dreams function to release this particular memory as if we have mentally dealt with it in order to get it off of our chests. Dreams are "the royal road to the unconscious." Psychoanalysts still believe that dream contents are unconscious manifestations of subconscious mental turmoil and that the examination and understanding of that content can help dreamers rid themselves of inner conflicts” (Breecher). The subconscious performs to rid the mind of day to day activities and unpleasant events. In this manner, the mind does itself a favor. Not only do dreams work to clear our mind’s slate, they also expose subdued