Have you ever had a dream so vivid and real that it could have easily been reality? Or what about a dream that predicted exactly how your day was going to turn out? These all sound mysterious, but aren't you the least bit curious to find out the purpose of dreams?

For years, humanity has been baffled by their dreams. They have come up with a good number of theories that might explain the purpose of dreams.

While nothing has been solidly proven yet, some of their theories do make sense and provide active dreamers, a perspective on how to deal with them. As you read along, you'll discover interesting explanations and instances which highlight the occurrence of certain dreams.

Fight or Flight

According to one theory, the purpose of dreams is to prepare us for possible threats in the future. For example, you may find yourself being chased by a horrible monster ten times your size in a nightmare.

Your brain will then react exactly as it would in a real-life threatening situation. Either you stay and fight, or you think of another strategy to face your opponent. Whatever the case is, you are given the chance to practice how to react or how to best approach the situation.

It's not to say that you will really meet a horrible monster ten times your size in real life. But you might find yourself in a similar situation. The theory goes on to say that after experiencing these nightmares, you will be able to sense dangerous situations faster and thus, will be able to react more swiftly and appropriately.

Predicting the Future

The purpose of dreams does not always have to be scientific. Many people believe that dreams help them predict the future. I personally know people who have experienced these sort of dreams.

Such dreams can be as simple as meeting an old friend or as amazing as saving someone else's life. One popular example of precognitive dreaming is about a man who dreamed that he had gone camping with his son by the lake near their home. In the dream, he took his son to the water's edge to give him a bath but remembered he left the soap. As he went back to retrieve the soap, he saw his son playing with the pebbles and throwing them into the water. When he finally got back with the soap, he found his son dead, lying face down on the water.

A little while after that, the man found himself camping with his son near the lake in his dream. He didn't remember his dream until he saw his son playing with the pebbles in the lake while he was about to go get soap. In a flash, he grabbed his son out of the water and took the boy with him. Records of such events can also be found in books if you're interested in reading more about these precognitive dreams.

Trying to discover the purpose of dreams can be interesting. And while most people don't retain a clear image of their dreams, you might be more inclined to remember them after much practice.