To sleep perchance to dream

Sleeping consists of two types, REM sleep and non-REM sleep. REM sleep actually starts occurring before we are born. Up through puberty REM sleep is about 50% of sleeping time and then drops to about 20% through until very late in life when it drops further. Dreams can occur during both types of sleep but non-REM sleep is typically hard to remember and is not story driven while REM sleep is more complex and visual. However, nightmares only occur during non-REM sleep.

(The Great Courses – Understanding the Brain)

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