Why dream? A Conjecture on Dreaming

TL;DR

This paper hypothesizes that sleep and dreaming are essential for cellular and molecular renewal in organisms, with dreams serving to test new neural circuits during sleep.

Contribution

It introduces a novel conjecture linking sleep and dreaming to biological renewal processes, emphasizing the functional role of dreams in neural circuit validation.

Findings

Sleep facilitates cellular and molecular replacement.

Dreams may serve to check and validate new neural circuitry.

Proposes a biological basis for the necessity of sleep and dreaming.

Abstract

I propose that the need for sleep and the occurrence of dreams are intimately linked to the physical processes underlying the continuing replacement of cells and renewal of biomolecules during the lives of higher organisms. Since one major function of our brains is to enable us to react to attack, there must be truly compelling reasons for us to take them off-line for extended periods, as during sleep. I suggest that most replacements occur during sleep. Dreams are suggested as part of the means by which the new neural circuitry (I use the word in an informal sense) is checked.