A third of our lives is spent sleeping, yet it is often difficult to recall the details of our dreams. Why does the brain first present us with amazing images and then erase them from memory?
Dreams play an important role in enhancing the retention of information acquired during the day. But why do we ultimately forget 90% of our dreams?
Sleep is a sequence of thoughts, images, and emotions that arise in our consciousness during sleep. Dreams are formed when certain areas of the brain are activated by electrical impulses and chemical reactions.
There are many theories about the purpose of dreams; however, the main one asserts that dreams are directly related to memory consolidation processes. Research shows that during sleep, the brain replays new knowledge and memories to process them.
Why Don’t We Remember Our Dreams?
There are several factors that contribute to our forgetting just-seen dreams:
The electrical impulses and chemical reactions that create dreams often fade upon waking. Elements of the dream may resurface in our memory later, sometimes even on the same day. This can occur due to the repetition of experiences that activate the same area of the brain as during nighttime dreams. The most vivid dreams can be remembered for a lifetime, as they are associated with strong emotions.
Sometimes we cannot recall our dreams because we wake up too abruptly, for example, when an alarm clock wakes you. The period of awakening plays an important role in the process of remembering dreams. Of course, this complex mechanism will not work properly if you wake up suddenly.
Various sleep disorders can also make it difficult to remember dreams. For instance, insomnia can disrupt the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep, where dreams are formed.
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