'Scary Movies Cause Nightmares,' And 8 Other Myths About Dreams — Busted

Humans have been obsessed with the obscurities of dreams for as long as we’ve been, well, human. Whether you religiously track your nighttime narratives in a bedside dream diary or wake most mornings without even recalling them, you’re probably a little curious about these hazy memories that fill the space between your sleeping and waking life. The air of mystery surrounding dreams (What do they mean? What's their function?) has led to as much scientific discovery as popular mythology. And what we think we know about dreams -- true or false -- just may be influencing our ability to score a sound night’s sleep. We’ve teamed up with Sleep Number to uncover the truth behind nine of the most common myths about dreams. MTYH #1: “You dream every night, even if you don’t remember it.”Science Says: Not necessarily Researchers basically work with what we layfolk tell them about our dreams, rather than any biological or concrete proof of dreams’ existence, which makes it hard for sleep experts to perfect the science of when -- and how often -- we dream. “There's not one shred of evidence that dreaming enhances the reproduction of humans or the survival of the race,” says Mark Mahowald, a visiting professor at Stanford and neurology expert. “Dreams are kind of an innocent byproduct of sleep, which does have a function.” That said, recent research using dream reports and brain imaging is helping to shed new light on...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news