Question: why do we dream things and then it happens later on in like the week

Petrina Lau answered on 13 Nov 2018:

Hi Mollie, this is interesting question! I want to know too, not exactly about the predictive power of dream, but what is dream! but I am afraid I can only make a guess about both questions, since no one can tell for sure what dream is.
Dreams appear to be influenced by our waking lives in many ways. Theories about why we dream include those that suggest dreaming is a means by which the brain processes emotions, stimuli, memories, and information that’s been absorbed throughout the waking day. Other research indicates that a majority of dreams contain content related to our memories about the self—as opposed to episodic memories, which deal with events and details such as locations and times. Suggesting our waking lives have great influence over the content of our dreams.There’s also fascinating research that shows our capacity to dream beyond our waking experiences, in profound ways. Dream reports of people born paralyzed reveal that they walk, swim, and run in their dreams as often as people without paralysis. Dream reports of people born deaf indicate they often hear in their dreams! 🙂
Dream and sleep are fascinating subjects!