NOVA Explores Dreams Tonight on PBS

The TV program NOVA will explore the world of dreams tonight. “What Are Dreams?” will premiere on your local PBS station.

Leading dream researchers will explain how they study the world of sleep and dreams. And they’ll attempt to answer some of the most intriguing questions about why we dream.

Do dreams improve memory? Do they enhance our creativity? Do they help us solve problems? Are they crucial to our survival?

The program also will focus on the sleep disorders that seem to bring dreams to life. Nightmare disorder. Sleepwalking. REM sleep behavior disorder.



You can watch a two-minute preview of the program online. You also can read a transcript of the program.

NOVA also accepted questions about sleep and dreams. Harvard sleep researcher Robert Stickgold, PhD, provided answers on the NOVA Web site.

Earlier this month the Sleep Education Blog reported that a researcher had proposed a “theory of protoconsciousness” to explain dreams. Studies also have provided some support for the “threat simulation theory.”

Learn more about dreaming and dream theories.