Art by smbc-comics
Consciousness is often said to disappear in deep, dreamless sleep. We argue that this assumption is oversimplified. Unless dreamless sleep is defined as unconscious from the outset there are good empirical and theoretical reasons for saying that a range of different types of sleep experience, some of which are distinct from dreaming, can occur in all stages of sleep.
Pubmed Articles
Does Consciousness Disappear in Dreamless Sleep?
Sciencealert Article We Were Wrong About Consciousness Disappearing in Dreamless Sleep, Say Scientists
Do you really have dreamless sleep or do you simply not remember the dream?
The majority of sleep is dreamless, I believe it’s just during REM that you dream, which I believe is usually 15-20% of normal sleep.
Technically, if you remember a dream it’s because you woke up during a REM cycle. If your sleep cycle completes fully, then you won’t remember your dream and will feel more rested.
I think this is false but I don’t have information to refute it other than my own experience. I used to write a dream diary. When I did, I remembered my dreams almost every time I woke up. Not just half the time or 80% but more like 96% of the time. And it was very detailed with multiple dreams tied to each other.
I remember I’ve had dreams but I only have a very vague sense of what they are about.
Also kept a dream journal.
The trick is not to focus on the story (what the dream is about or means) and to recall the emotional energy in the dream.
Learning to meditate and tune into my emotions was both aided by dream journaling, and an aid to dream journaling.
Plus the emotional content probably has more meaning than whatever story we tell ourselves.
Agreed. In my experience, dreams can be interpreted much like art can be interpreted. How you emotionally respond to the images and scenarios tells you a lot about what your mind is attempting to deal with while you are physically safe. I believe that dreams are a form of poetry that your mind is engaged with in order to integrate life experiences in a safe manner.
I kept a dream journal for a couple of years.
Subjectively there was no way for me to know if it was memory or just my tired brain making a story out of the left over bits of sleep.
It did fuel a lot of creative writing though (both in and out of the journal). And helped me be more in touch with my emotions.
It’s not false. I remember my dreams every morning, and often remember them for a long time. I also have sleep issues and never get restful sleep.
There’s naturally far more nuanced to the neuroscience, but it’s largely true.