Dreaming Can Eliminate Bad Memories

Dream can help eliminate bad memories. U.S. researchers found that chemicals in the brain associated with stress during the phase of a dream when we sleep when the brain processes emotional experience.

Chemicals that can help relieve pain associated with bad memories and can act as an overnight treatment, say researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

In addition to providing clues why we dream, the researchers say the study may help explain some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as recurrent nightmares.

The researchers divided 35 volunteers into two groups. Both groups were shown 150 images designed to provoke an emotional response. Meanwhile, the brain activity scanned by MRI.

The first group saw pictures in the morning and at night, while the second group saw the picture in the afternoon and the next morning after a full night's sleep.

The group that saw the picture after a good night reported fewer emotional reactions when compared with the group that did not sleep ..

In the group that did not sleep, MRI scans also showed less activity in the amygdala, part of the brain that processes emotion, and more activity in the pre-frontal cortex that is part of the brain associated with rational thought.

The researchers are also using electroencephalograms to record the electrical activity of the volunteers' brains while they slept. During sleep, certain patterns of electrical activity decreased. This suggests that the neurochemical stress levels in the brain decreases.

Dr. Matthew Walker, leader of the study, as quoted from Yahoo Health, Thursday (24/11), said, "We know that during sleep, there was a sharp decrease in the levels of norepinephrine, a brain chemical associated with stress. With the emotional processing during sleep , when awoke the next morning, the emotional experiences will soften. We can feel better and able to cope with bad memories. "