Sleep & Dreams Fundamentals
Your dreams have two layers that you need to understand. The manifest content is what your dream appears to be about - like dreaming about flying or being chased. The latent content is the true psychological meaning hidden beneath those symbols.
Restoration theory explains why sleep is absolutely essential for your health. During N-REM sleep, your body gets to work repairing minor injuries and flushing out waste chemicals from your muscles. This is why you need proper sleep when you're ill or stressed.
REM sleep focuses on your brain instead, replenishing vital neurotransmitters in your nervous system. Without enough REM sleep, you'll likely experience mood swings and anxiety the next day. Research shows stroke patients spend much longer in REM sleep weeks after injury, suggesting the brain really does use this time for repair.
Quick Tip: If you're feeling moody or anxious, you might not be getting enough REM sleep!
However, there's a puzzle here - during REM sleep, your brain remains incredibly active, which seems to contradict the idea that it's resting and repairing.