Researchers noticed similarities in the brain activity patterns of rats that had run on a circular track with the patterns during sleep, leading them to conclude that the rats dreamed about their experiences on the track. Tracking Your Dreams Sleep gives the brain's processing centers a necessary break from the uninterrupted input of information received during our waking hours. It also is an effective method for letting our minds drift away, giving the body time to repair itself, and re-energizing the brain. They quickly reverse and then start again. Periods of REM sleep lengthen throughout the night.
Dreams occur only during REM sleep.
Everyone dreams, but we don't always remember what we dream. Following psychiatrist Carl Jung's theory, one effective way of increasing the chances of remembering dreams and their meanings is to keep a dream journal. Put a pen, small notebook, and flashlight next to your bed. Put the date at the top of a blank page in the notebook. At a minimum, write key words or main ideas.