What is Sleep, How does it work. What causes dreams. Where does the image come from and how is it realistic?

Question

I have been wondering this for a very long time and I am asking. I have very vivid very realistic dreams. I can feel pain in my dreams, touch, smell, and very bright colors.. and sound too. it is almost hard for me to tell if I am dreaming or not unless something obviously weird happens. What causes this to happen? why is it so realistic? am I really in these places? like an Astra-travel? or what.. I'm confused..

Answer 1

See my blog on Yahoo on dreams by finding it on my profile.  What you remember of your dreams are an afterthought, a memory, and your memories seem to be vivid by your report, so you must have a good imagination.  

Sleep is an attempt to rest the body and the brain.  Without sleep, we become very irritable.  There was a report of one woman who had not slept for over 20 years I believe in England after she had been in a car accident.  I think sleep allows the mind and body to process and slow things down in order to recover.  I don't know how the woman does it without sleep, but I am sure they are researching it.