ghout an individual's time asleep, and consumes from thirty minutes up to two hours of an individuals n!
             Every individual is subject to REM sleep, and some suffer from REM Sleep Disorder. The disorder involves a severe attachment to a person's dreams. Dotto reports that while sufferers consist mostly of men over fifty years of age, it can affect anyone. She also states that research has discovered that 60% of the disorder is due to aging, while 40% can be blamed on neurological problems (119). This disorder is no laughing matter. "One case in England resulted in a man shooting his new bride to death while he was dreaming of being pursued by gangsters" (Maas 161). The severity of this problem is treatable with medication; but sufferers are encouraged to sleep in protected surroundings, with no sharp objects in the room, and no open windows.
             With a better understanding of REM sleep, progression can be made toward the history of dreams and the study of their meanings. In Restful Sleep, Chopra relates that dreams were first believed to tell the future of entire communities (102). The Bible also gives evidence of the importance to dreams. Joseph was told about Mary carrying the Christ child during a dream. "At the beginning of recorded history, and for the millennia thereafter, dreams were considered divine messages in virtually every religious culture" (Maguire 2). Thus, the importance of dreams to a vast array of cultures was made quite evident from a very early time.
             However, not everyone believes in the importance of dreams. "Some scientists today attach almost no importance to dreams. They are only random thoughts drifting into our minds during sleep, no serious relationship to our waking life" (Kavey 33). While some of the arguments presented may have validity, the benefits of dream study and interpretation far outweigh the possible conflicts these studies uncover. For i...