REM Sleep Reduces Stressful Memories

A recent study from the University of California in Berkeley shows that dreams may help to ease the pain of stressful memories. This study, which was recently published in the journal Current Biology, shows that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep can lower emotional stress levels related to past events. These findings may be able to help with treatment for people who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or mood disorders. But, how does this all work? According to the research REM sleep is the best environment for the brain to process emotions because during REM sleep stress inducing electrical activity patterns of the brain decrease significantly. This study is the first of its kind to show a correlation between sleep and behavioral reactions.

Source: Daily Cal