A new study suggests that dreams don't just happen during deep sleep, but can also occur while we're still awake.
According to research, people often experience vivid and unusual episodes, similar to dreams, in the moments before they fall asleep. Researchers identified four mental states that move between wakefulness and sleep: transient, alert, strange, and voluntary.
The study's lead author, Nicolas Decat of the Brain Institute in Paris, stressed that the content of thoughts does not always follow the classic boundaries between waking and sleeping. According to him, the mind can create dream-like experiences even when the person is still conscious.
The study involved 92 participants who were interrupted from sleep at various stages and asked to describe their mental experiences of the last few seconds. Brain activity was continuously monitored via electroencephalography (EEG).
The results showed that in addition to the classic “awake” and “dreaming” states, there are also intermediate states. The transitory state was associated with short-term memories, the alert state with high awareness of the environment, while the strange state involved unusual and fragmented experiences. The voluntary state was characterized by thought control.
These experiences, known as hypnagogic hallucinations, occur during the transition from wakefulness to sleep and include images, sounds, or sensations that seem like dreams.
Researchers point out that people often believe that such unusual content only occurs at night, but this may be a result of the way we remember dreams. Dream-like thoughts can also occur during the day, but are often ignored.
Another study suggests that dreams may serve as a "training ground" for the brain, helping individuals prepare for the challenges of everyday life, such as relationships, survival, and caring for others.
Experts believe these findings offer a deeper understanding of how the brain works and the role of dreams in our psychological and social lives. /GazetaExpress/
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