Shabina Akhtar explains: Dreams are the result of the mental activity (thoughts, images or emotions) that goes on within our mind when we are asleep. That a dream fades away in the morning is proverbial. It is, possible to recall it but chances are there of remembering it partially.

Dr J.R. Ram, consultant Psychiatrist at Apollo Gleneagles Hospital in Calcutta, says, “It is not true that we do not remember our dreams. Whether we remember or forget our dreams, depends on the stage of sleep when we have dreamt.”

Most dreams occur in conjunction with rapid eye movements (REM); hence, they are said to occur during REM-sleep, a period typically taking up 20-25 per cent of sleep time. Dreams occurring during non-REM periods are said to occur during NREM-sleep.

The brain behaves differently in these two phases of our sleep. In normal sleep, drowsiness gives way to NREM sleep. REM sleep comes within 50-90 minutes of falling asleep. “REM sleep is described as an ‘awake brain in a paralysed body’ and it is during this phase when most of the dreams are likely to occur,” he added. If we wake up from REM sleep, then we are likely to recall our dreams. However, if we are wake up from NREM sleep we are unlikely to recall our dreams.

The question was sent by Abhishek Tripathi from Jamshedpur.