HEALTH: Why Your Weird Dreams Might Be Good For You

Headlines for a healthier you

Stephanie Cornwell, Editorial Assistant

Dreams May Help Organize Your Lived Experiences

We tend to accept that our dreams just don't make sense. For instance, maybe you're lost in your local grocery store, but it's also a gym, and your teeth are falling out. New research suggests that strange dreams may be the brain's way of organizing a mix of experiences to better make sense of the world. In a study published this spring, researchers used artificial intelligence to simulate what the brain experiences during REM and non-REM sleep.

Know More

Dreams occur during REM sleep, a deep type of sleep that makes up the last part of the sleep cycle. Brain activity becomes more erratic, and memories begin to fuse in creative, sometimes strange ways. REM sleep may be particularly important for retaining recently-learned information.

Feel Better

This study suggests that vivid dreams merge experiences to help build neurological connections. So, if you have weird dreams, know that it's just the brain making sense of the world.

What Else Should You Know

How Long Does Long COVID Last?

The longest follow-up study on long COVID patients to date found that symptoms can persist for at least 11 to 18 months after a person's initial infection. While the loss of smell and altered taste decreased for long haulers after the period of acute infection, heart rate and blood pressure variations increased over time.

Cranberries May Support Memory and Brain Health, Study Finds

A new study shows that having one cup of cranberries or cranberry supplements may help with memory retention and cognitive function. The reason? Flavonoids. As a bonus, cranberries also helped lower LDL cholesterol levels.