Page 170 - The Miracle of Electricity in the Body

168

Our Life, No Different from a Dream

What is the difference between dreams and real life? Dreams, generally, are
logically contradictory and inconsistent compared with what we perceive in the
real world. Apart from that, however, there is no difference, technically speak-
ing. Both form as a result of the stimulation of sense centers in the brain.
One encyclopedic source describes how dreams and reality are experienced in
the same way:
Dreaming, like all mental processes, is a product of the brain and its activity.
Whether a person is awake or asleep, the brain continuously gives off elec-
trical waves. Scientists measure these waves with an instrument called an
electroencephalograph. At most times during sleep, the brain waves are
large and slow. But at certain times, they become smaller and faster. During
periods of fast brain waves, the eyes move rapidly as though the sleeper
were watching a series of events. This stage of sleep, called REM (Rapid Eye
Movement) sleep, is when most dreams occur. If awakened during REM
sleep, the person is likely to recall details of the dream. . . During REM sleep,
the pathways that carry nerve impulses from the brain to the muscles are
blocked. Therefore, the body cannot move during dreams. Also, the cere-
bral cortex-the part of the brain involved in higher mental functions-is much
more active during REM sleep than during non-dreaming sleep. The cortex
is stimulated by neurons (nerve cells) that carry impulses from the part of
the brain called the brain stem. 1
Both real life and dreams are ensembles of perceptions that form by the inter-
pretation of impulses reaching the relevant centers in the brain.

1- World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia, "Dream", World Book Inc., 1998.