Why is it that some people can vividly
remember their dreams, while others
have difficulty recalling even fragments
of these shut-eye stories? The field of sleep science
has taught us a lot about why we sleep, when we
dream, and even what those dreams might mean.
Now, researchers in this field are getting a clearer
picture of the biological differences between those
who remember their dreams and those who do not.
Until the 1950s, many people thought sleep was
a passive part of daily life, a period during which
our brains rested from the day’s events. In 1953,
however, scientists discovered a stage of sleep
called REM, which is characterized by rapid eye
movement, irregular breathing, and involuntary
muscle jerks, and came to understand that our
brains are very active during.