Stories in the Dark: Why We Dream
An informational text about dreams: what happens in the brain during REM sleep, what the theories say and why we forget most of our dreams.
Tap any word to hear it · dotted words have a definition in the glossary
🎧 Listen
1Every night, while your body rests, your brain is busy telling you stories. Most people dream for about two hours each night, even if they remember nothing in the morning. But why do we dream at all? Scientists still do not have a final answer, but they have learned a lot.
2Sleep happens in that last about ninety minutes. In each cycle there is a called REM, which stands for Eye Movement. During REM sleep, the eyes move quickly under the , the brain is almost as active as when we are awake, and most of our dreams happen. At the same time, most of the muscles in the body cannot move. This is probably a protection: it stops us from acting out our dreams.
3One popular says that dreams help us deal with memories. During sleep, the brain sorts the events of the day, keeps what is important and throws away the rest. Another says that dreams help us handle emotions. When we dream about something , such as an exam or a fight with a friend, we may be practicing how to deal with it in a safe place.
4Why do we forget most of our dreams? Researchers believe that the parts of the brain that store new memories are less active during sleep. If you want to remember a dream, try writing it down the moment you wake up. Within a few minutes, most of it will be gone.
📘 Glossary
- cycles - sets of events that repeat again and again
- stage - one step or part of a process
- rapid - very fast
- eyelids - the folds of skin that cover your eyes when you close them
- vivid - very clear and full of detail
- theory - an idea that tries to explain something
- frightening - making you feel afraid
Questions
Finding details
1. How long do most people dream each night?Finding details
2. What do the letters REM stand for?Finding details
3. How long is one sleep cycle?Finding details
4. Give TWO things that happen in the body or brain during REM sleep.Making inferences
5. What might happen if our muscles could move during REM sleep?Finding details
6. According to the first theory in paragraph 3, what does the brain do during sleep?Reference words
7. In paragraph 3, the word "it" in "how to deal with it" refers to…Word meaning
8. In paragraph 2, the word "vivid" is closest in meaning to…Finding details
9. What does the writer suggest if you want to remember a dream?Purpose and structure
10. What is the main purpose of the text?
Answer every question to get a score (0/10)