These movements sometimes become so interesting that there are paw movements as if they are engaged in a heavy fight They make sounds that are normally never made. Of course, there must be an explanation for this unusual behavior.

Now, by revealing some secrets about our little friends, Let’s look at the relationship between dreams and animals.

Just like humans, animals have many neurons and complex brain structures.

These neurons help information travel through the brain and nervous system by producing electrical signals. The electrical activity continues even during sleep.

Sleep phase in general It is divided into two: REM sleep and non-REM sleep. Often a sleep process begins with non-REM sleep; eventually reaches REM, defined as rapid eye movements, and then returns to non-REM sleep.

During REM the brain is very active. The eyes are closed and moves quickly behind the eyelids. The heart rate and breathing also increase. Dreaming is also thought to occur during this stage of sleep.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to observe an animal’s dreams, but the sounds, images and activities that take place in their sleeping minds can provide several clues.

In this case, we observe the movements of brain cells during dreaming and process these observations Compare it with the waking state of the animal It might be possible to try to understand it.

In fact, every animal, from dolphins who sleep with half their brains awake to koalas who sleep 20 hours a day, is There is a lot of variation in sleep.

According to the research all mammals, including birds and reptilesExperience REM and non-REM sleep stages. It is also possible to say that an animal dreams during REM sleep, just like a human.

Can any animal dream in REM sleep?

Domestic cats, for example, were among the first animals to be subjected to dream research. Michel Jouvet, an expert in sleep studies, observed the behavior of cats while sleeping in the 1960s He produced some evidence that they were dreaming.

According to Jouvet, cats have a brainstem structure called the pons, and this structure is an indicator that they are going through the REM phase. Cats’ brains are deep in REM sleep, just like when they are awake. Shows scratching, jumping and hunting movements.

Mice in dreams recall memories of the maze.

Research shows that mice that run in a maze during the day can retrace the same path while they sleep. When the mouse woke up, the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for creating and storing memories, was remembers the neuron pattern of navigating the maze.

The sleeping brain then reproduces the same pattern the mouse remembers the maze and it shows that you are learning again.

Research into whether animals dream or not continues unabated.

For example lack of neural activity in the brain It is unlikely that any form of mental imagery will occur. Therefore, in the first place there were opinions that animals that did not show signs of REM sleep, such as insects and fish, did not dream.

However, in 2022, some researchers from the US and Germany will Jumping spiders move their eyes while sleeping and thus discovered that he could dream by going through the REM phase.

In summary, humans are not the only beings who experience the REM stage and dream. The way some animals, which have been found to be able to dream, delve into this dream world is full of differences. For this reason, our little friends There is always the possibility to dream.