11 Apr , 20:55
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Vivid dreams can create a sensation of deep, restorative rest — even when the brain is objectively far from a state of repose. This is evidenced by a large-scale study conducted by Italian neurobiologists, the results of which have been published in the journal PLOS Biology.
A total of 44 healthy volunteers participated in the laboratory experiment. The scientists analyzed 196 nights of sleep in detail: participants were systematically awakened during different sleep stages and asked to describe their experiences — whether they had been dreaming and how deep their sleep had seemed.
The results were unexpected. The sensation of "deep sleep" occurred not only during periods of complete unconsciousness but also after rich, vivid dreams — even when brain activity was closer to a waking state. Conversely, participants reported the "lightest" sleep during moments when they were partially aware of their surroundings but were not experiencing full-fledged dreams.
"In other words, not all mental activity during sleep is perceived the same way. The quality of the experience plays a key role, especially its immersiveness," emphasized neurobiologist Giulio Bernardi.
The scientists proposed a hypothesis: vivid dreams may function as a kind of "buffer," smoothing out fluctuations in brain activity. As a result, a person develops a sense of continuous, deep sleep, even if objective indicators suggest otherwise.
The researchers paid particular attention to the N2 phase — the second stage of non-REM sleep, which accounts for a significant portion of the night. It was here that the connection between dream vividness and subjective sleep depth was most clearly evident.
Another curious pattern emerged: toward morning, when the physiological need for sleep decreases, dreams become more vivid — and simultaneously, the feeling that sleep was truly deep intensifies.
According to Bernardi, these findings may explain a long-standing mystery: why some people complain of poor sleep even though all objective measurements show normal results.
Looking ahead, the scientists do not rule out that targeted intervention in the content or vividness of dreams — for example, through sensory stimulation or cognitive techniques — could open new avenues for treating insomnia and improving sleep quality.
