Most people think of sleep as a passive, relatively calm, and unchanging process; however, sleep is a very active state of consciousness. While we sleep, we also have thoughts, visions and feelings otherwise known as dreams. This sleep and dream assessment highlights alterations in the sleep cycle by focusing on REM sleep. It will also examine the history behind dream analysis and introduce lucid dreaming. All about dreams and sleepSleep is our body's way of restoring energy while resting. As humans, we need sleep to survive. Sleep can free us from illness, lower stress levels, and strengthen mindfulness for the day. While we sleep, whether we remember it or not, we all have dreams. A dream, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary (2014), is a series of thoughts, visions, or feelings that occur during sleep. For years, psychologists and other researchers have been trying to decipher and interpret the meaning of dreams. When we sleep, we go through five different sleep stages. The average dream occurs in REM sleep, or the fifth and final stage of sleep (McEntarffer & Weseley 2012). Some common dreams are having your teeth fall out, being chased, or going back to school. But why do these dreams occur? Even today we don't know with one hundred percent certainty. Contrary to common belief, sleep is considered one of the states of consciousness (Krieger 2011). The amount of sleep a person needs depends on a number of variables, especially age. Children under four years old generally need more sleep than the average teenager or adult. Studies have shown that most students between the ages of 15 and 23 are sleep deprived. Does this mean that these high school students...... middle of paper ......re interesting dreams for philosophers? The example of minimal phenomenal individuality, plus an agenda for future research. Frontiers in psychology. Rev. 746. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3813926/.Nightmares. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/nightmares.html.Schenck C. (2005). Lost Paradox: Midnight on the Battlefield of Sleep and Dreams. Minneapolis, MN: Extreme Nights, LLC.Shibata S, Tsutou A, Shiotani H. (2014). Relationship between sleep quality and daily physical activity in outpatients. PubMed. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24854994.Stages of Sleep. (2008). World of psychology. Retrieved from http://web.mst.edu/~psyworld/sleep_stages.htmStumbrys, T. “Induction of lucid dreams: a systematic review of the evidence.” Consciousness and Cognition 21 (2012):1456-1475. Door of research.