I was reading a book, and one of the chapters was about dreaming as overnight therapy.
I learned two things from it.
First, sleep deeply affects our brain’s performance the next day. During REM sleep, dreams work like therapy sessions. People who experience good REM sleep feel emotionally better the next day. Over time, those with a consistent sleep cycle feel more balanced than those who are sleep-deprived.
Scientific research shows that emotional memories — accidents, breakups, painful moments — are processed during REM sleep. The brain strips the raw emotion from the memory. You can still recall what happened, but without the same intensity you felt when it first occurred.
This idea has even been used to treat PTSD. If someone experiences trauma in a dream during REM sleep, they are more likely to process and overcome it in real life.
The second thing I learned is that sleep-deprived people struggle to read facial expressions accurately. In one study, people who had a good night’s sleep were better at detecting emotions on others’ faces than those who were sleep-deprived.
Sleep is essential for processing memories, healing emotional wounds, and reading people accurately. Make sure you get enough rest.