# Cecil's column on "Why do we sleep?"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-column-on-why-do-we-sleep/345797>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [February 23, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-column-on-why-do-we-sleep/345797 "2006-02-23T15:43:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-column-on-why-do-we-sleep/345797/1 "2006-02-23T15:43:46Z")

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Cecil’s column on [Why do we sleep?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_044b.html) might benefit from some new research [here](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051027091307.htm).

The article says in part:

> [@](#):
>
> The analysis concludes that sleep functions to keep animals safe by restricting waking to the hours when an animal is most likely to be successful at finding food and avoiding danger.

That does seem similar to theory number 3 in Cecil’s list. Perhaps the new study could be used in an update of this answer.

Sailboat

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**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-column-on-why-do-we-sleep/345797/2 "2006-02-24T00:18:07Z")

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We sleep perchance to dream. 😉

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**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-column-on-why-do-we-sleep/345797/3 "2006-02-24T05:02:58Z")

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_4) Sleep helps you remember. In other words, it gives the brain a chance to process the day’s experiences and file them away in the memory. Thus we remember things learned just before sleep better than things learned earlier._

When I read this it reminded me that smoking pot causes one not to dream. I wonder if the short term memory loss associated with marijuana is connected in some way to this.

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**Author:** ![cylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@cylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cylon)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-column-on-why-do-we-sleep/345797/4 "2006-02-25T06:11:45Z")

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> [@Bomzaway](#):
>
> _4) Sleep helps you remember. In other words, it gives the brain a chance to process the day’s experiences and file them away in the memory. Thus we remember things learned just before sleep better than things learned earlier._
> 
> When I read this it reminded me that smoking pot causes one not to dream. I wonder if the short term memory loss associated with marijuana is connected in some way to this.

Oh yeah I completely forgot about that.

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**Author:** ![add\_homonym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@add\_homonym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/add_homonym)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-column-on-why-do-we-sleep/345797/5 "2006-03-04T00:05:05Z")

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> [@Bomzaway](#):
>
> _4) Sleep helps you remember. In other words, it gives the brain a chance to process the day’s experiences and file them away in the memory. Thus we remember things learned just before sleep better than things learned earlier._
> 
> When I read this it reminded me that smoking pot causes one not to dream. I wonder if the short term memory loss associated with marijuana is connected in some way to this.

I suppose that would be a way to stop recurrent nightmares, but only for as long as you took it.