Why do we dream?我們為什麼會做夢

Why do we dream?

我們為什麼會做夢？

Well, we dream for at least several different reasons.

我們做夢有幾個不同的原因。

One key benefit is creativity.

做夢給我們帶來最大的好處是：創造力。

Sleep, including dream sleep, is associated with an enhanced ability to solve next-day problems.

睡眠，包括夢境中的睡眠都和第二天問題解決能力是否增強有關。

It's almost as though we go to sleep with the pieces of the jigsaw, but we wake up with the puzzle complete.

就好像我們帶着散亂的拼圖入眠，第二天卻抱着完成的拼圖醒來。

The second benefit of REM-sleep dreaming is emotional first aid.

快速眼動睡眠的第二個好處是情感急救。

REM sleep takes the painful sting out of difficult emotional experiences so that when we come back the next day, we feel better about those painful events.

快速眼動睡眠将我們從痛苦的情緒裡解救出來，這樣當第二天醒來時，我們不會感到特别難受。

You can almost think of dreaming as a form of overnight therapy.

你大可以把做夢當成一種夜間療法。

It's not time that heals all wounds, but it's time during dream sleep that provides emotional convalescence.

治愈一切的不是時間，而是睡眠中那段做夢的時間在幫助我們平複情緒。

Now, it's not just that you dream. It's also what you dream about that seems to make a difference.

這種改變不隻取決于做夢，還取決于夢境的内容。

Scientists have discovered that after learning a virtual maze, for example, those individuals who slept but critically also dreamed about the maze were the only ones who ended up being better at navigating the maze when they woke up.

科學家發現，例如，那些在玩過虛拟迷宮後睡着，并且在睡夢中夢到迷宮的人，是為數不多的在醒來後能更好地走迷宮的人。

And this same principle is true for our mental health.

這個原則同樣适用于我們的心理健康。

For example, people going through a difficult or traumatic experience such as a divorce, and who are dreaming about that event, go on to gain resolution to their depression relative to those who were dreaming but not dreaming about the events themselves.

舉個例子，經曆過困境或創傷，比如離婚，并且在夢中情景重制的人，相比于那些做無關夢的人更容易消除内心的抑郁。

All of which means that sleep and the very act of dreaming itself appears to be an essential ingredient to so much of our waking lives.

這些都意味着睡眠和做夢這個行為本身，似乎是我們現實生活中不可缺少的部分。

We dream, therefore we are.

我夢，故我在。