Per [[Why We Sleep]] - REM sleep & dreaming have (probably)[^1] the following functions:
- Making connections between disparate experiences and concepts
- Paul McCartney wrote the melody to "Yesterday" while sleeping
- Keith Richards claims to have recorded the opening riff to "Satisfaction" during his sleep, literally
- Dreaming may separate emotion from emotionally charged memories - helping alleviate PTSD
- Thomas Edison and Salvador Dali both set up schemes to wake themselves up just as they were falling asleep so they could write down what they
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# More
## Source
- [[Why We Sleep]]
[^1]: I couldn't decide if the book suggests these are just theories or if they are being posed as more forceful "facts"