Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2021 September 11

= September 11 =

Are there any current, accepted theories about memories and dreams?
I had a dream last night about a teacher I once had a very long time ago. Why did this memory surface? Are there any ideas? It seems so strange to me. I was not thinking about this teacher, it just happened, for no reason. Viriditas (talk) 08:26, 11 September 2021 (UTC)
 * As for generally accepted theories, I think the idea that dreams are just dreams so forget them is good enough for most people. Not good enough for a longtime student like you, though, I gather. Are you looking for neurological reasoning or something based more in psychology, folklore or pseudoscience? InedibleHulk (talk) 10:46, 11 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Searching for "memory surfacing" just produced a lot of nonsense about regression and past lives, so that was disappointing because it's potentially a serious question: why do irrelevant, distant memories surface sometimes when we are relaxed or dreaming? If Viriditas is (not to put too fine a point on it) old, this may be an example of the Reminiscence bump. There's also Flashback (psychology). Card Zero  (talk) 13:35, 11 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Not sure if this addresses the question directly, but see Relationship between Dreaming and Memory Reconsolidation. Alansplodge (talk) 16:37, 11 September 2021 (UTC)

Thank you, everyone, for your answers. I will review the links. This discussion made me realize what I think is causing this. About ten years ago, I experimented with large doses of vegan omega-3 supplements. The same thing happened with my dreams, but I forgot about it. Well, recently, I started taking the omega-3 supplements again, and voilà. It occurs to me, that the reason I stopped taking the omega-3 supplements a decade ago is because the dreams became too intense to handle. Viriditas (talk) 00:53, 12 September 2021 (UTC)
 * That's fascinating. I googled the subject, and there is a belief (not necessarily proven) that Omega-3 has some impact on the vividness of dreams. I'm thinking to go off Omega-3 myself, and see if there's any impact. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:08, 12 September 2021 (UTC)
 * I think it requires a higher dosage. I was taking the Barlean's version, which has 2,968 mg of ALA Omega-3 per serving.  The company also makes the claim that their product has a higher rate of absorption than others because of their unique emulsification process.  No idea if any of that is true, but if you're trying to dream, this will do it. I should note that it generally takes about two weeks to notice it, but once it kicks in, you'll have lucid-quality dreams every night. I don't even know where to begin to describe to you what happened to me last night, but it's clear to me that I need to stop taking it.  It's just too much.  Imagine being in a feature film every night when you put your head down on the pillow. It's exhausting. Viriditas (talk) 00:31, 13 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Have you considered watching more YouTube shorts? It's amazing how quickly you can remember and master ephemeral pop imagery when you don't have to sit through the boring interstitial parts. I, with no degree of medical certainty, suggest two bananas daily, and pretty much anything carbonated before bed, with a solid helping of mature-but-fresh Saskatchewan-fed Brandon Tenold. But yes, not if you don't want to! Dreams are up to you, meaning each and all, and your memory mileage "behind the scenes" must vary, because even conjoined twins walk at least somewhat different paths through life, carrying various things. InedibleHulk (talk) 07:14, 14 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the laughs, but the connection between omega-3 and sleep has been known for years and is supported by current science. Viriditas (talk) 22:44, 14 September 2021 (UTC)


 * Also, and I am qualified to speak on this part, "vivid" should not be mistaken for "lucid" (or "lurid" or "vibrant" or "livid"). InedibleHulk (talk) 07:28, 14 September 2021 (UTC)