Dreams ensure that the information learned during the day is properly placed in memory and that short-term recall is converted into long-term recall. According to experts who state that dreams facilitate learning, dreams serve the healthy functioning and development of nerve cells and neural networks in the brain. For this reason, dreams have an important place in the brain development of babies and children.
Üsküdar University NP Etiler Medical Center Psychiatry Specialist Asst. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Duygu Kaya Yertutanol said that dreams help to organize, analyze, make sense of the experiences, experiences, emotions and thoughts during the day, in short, to process and clarify them in the mind.
One third of life is spent in sleep
Assist. Prof. Dr. Fatma Duygu Kaya Yertutanol defined dreams as "images and stories that our mind creates during sleep, or a different kind of state of consciousness with sensory, cognitive and emotional dimensions". Yertutanol said the following:
"We know that about one third of life is spent in sleep. Sleep is a process in which complex physiological mechanisms operate and roughly includes periods with (REM) and without (NREM) rapid eye movements. These periods alternate and we go through 4-5 periods during an 8-hour night's sleep. Dreams are most intense during the REM period, a period when our mind is very active, just like when we are awake, and their duration can vary from a few seconds to 20-30 minutes. Although we often have more than one dream (between 3-6) during the night, we quickly forget most of them (about 95-99%) when we wake up."
Little is known about the dream process
Stating that dreams can be fun, enjoyable, logical from time to time, as well as frightening, anxiety-inducing, confusing or strange from time to time, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yertutanol said, "We have almost no control over the characteristics of our dreams such as the beginning/end and content. Dreams begin, carry certain contents, make us experience certain emotions and end. We have little information about the details of this process."
Dreams help memorize learned information
Stating that although the biological, physiological and psychological importance of dreams is not known for certain, there are many explanations regarding their function, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Duygu Kaya Yertutanol summarized some of these explanations as follows: "Dreams allow the information learned during the day to be appropriately placed in memory and short-term recall to be converted into long-term recall. Therefore, it facilitates learning.
It processes what happened during the day in the mind
It allows the experiences, experiences, emotions and thoughts of the day to be organized, analyzed, made sense of, in short, processed and clarified in the mind. In fact, we often realize that there are pieces of our recent experiences in our dreams. For example, it is possible to wake up after a healthy sleep having found a way to solve a problem you have been constantly thinking about, while you have not found a solution during the day.
Important for the brain development of babies and children
Dreams serve the healthy functioning and development of nerve cells and neural networks in the brain. Therefore, they are important in the brain development of babies and children."
It becomes possible to access unconscious information
Stating that dreams are a process in which our unconsciously suppressed desires, fears and anxieties are revealed, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yertutanol said, "Thus, it becomes possible to access unconscious information through dreams. Accessing some of the unconscious content through dreams is of great importance, especially in some types of psychotherapy. This content is examined during therapy sessions and helps the person to realize their suppressed desires, fears and anxieties."
How can we remember our dreams?
Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Duygu Kaya Yertutanol said that understanding dreams gives important information about the mental processes of the person and therefore it is important to remember dreams. However, Yertutanol stated that it is not always possible to remember dreams and said, "In order to remember our dreams, we must first ensure a healthy sleep. Then, suggesting to ourselves 'I want to remember my dreams' every night while going to bed and writing the dream fragments that remain in our minds in a small notebook (dream notebook) that we will keep by our bedside without doing anything else and thinking as soon as we wake up in the morning can help us remember our dreams better over time."
