“Scientists have long wondered why we sleep and why we dream. A new study provides evidence for some long-held notions that sleep and dreams boost learning and help us to make sense of the real world. Even naps can help, the researchers found. Test subjects who dreamt about a challenging task performed it better than those who didn't have such dreams. This newfound link between dreaming and learning gives insight into why humans bother to sleep at all. The study is thought to be the first to show “the relationship between dreaming and function in the outside world,” said senior researcher Robert While dreams have always mystified mankind, scientists have been equally curious about sleep. “It is dangerous to go to sleep,” Stickgold said, evolutionarily speaking. Unconscious beings lying flat on their backs are especially prone to attack, he pointed out. So why have we evolved to spend a third of our lives sleeping? Previous research has shown that sleep benefits the immune and endocrine systems, but it hasn't been clear that sleep per se is necessary. Resting quietly may be enough to meet these needs, Stickgold told LiveScience. Sleep, however, might affect the brain in a way that no other state can equal, suggests the study published in the most recent issue of the journal Current Biology. The effect is likely critical for learning and making sense of life — skills worth sleeping for, scientists think.” http://www.livescience.com/health/naps-dreams-boost-learning-100422.html added by: DeliaTheArtist
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