Why dreams regulate body temperature

Physically speaking, dreaming is necessary. Researchers observed that all warm-blooded animals dream (i.e., rapid movement of the eyes), while all cold-blooded animals do not dream (rapid movement of the eyes). This simple observation led researchers to speculate: Could dreams be related to temperature regulation in warm-blooded animals?

Research results show that when our body temperature drops at night, the dreaming phase helps maintain the warmth of our brains through increased neural activity in the brain. When we sleep, our body temperature drops by about 1.5 ° C. This drop in body temperature helps us recover our strength faster while sleeping. This theory holds that our brains are much more sensitive to changes in temperature than our bodies, so the brain uses dreams to maintain the appropriate temperature of the body, not too low or too high.