If someone is in a coma, do they have dreams…?
I highly doubt that they do, as dreaming requires some degree of consciousness, while most comatose people are completely unconscious, like a person that has passed out. I’ve passed out a couple of times, and there are no dreams there, just a complete lack of any sensory information.
I’m not sure about if a person in coma is able to dream, but I know that there have been reports of near-death-experiences. These experiences are similar to those that can be induced by other (usually dangerous) methods and (usually illegal) supplemetns.
What if they actually have dreams but do not remember them at all 'cause they are unconscious?
Assuming that your scenario is true, it actually doesn’t matter if the patient had any dreams or not.
Magnificus wrote:
I dont think thats right. I have passed out couple times and had really vivid images. Not that I always remember those, but sometimes I do. But one thing is certain, there is some images while passed out. Not that those are dreams but like “phantom images” or something.
Don’t compare an occasional passing-out to a coma. It’s not really the same thing.
Ofcourse not, just making a point. But there has been some people that have been in a coma have heard everything that have happend and talked around them. And that means they have some degree of consciousness. So why cant those people have dreams?
During a coma your sleep cycles are totally messed up. Moreover, many parts of your brain are inactive (they are active when you are dreaming normally). I am pretty skeptical on whether you can actually dream. Of course, there have been reports of people who had some kind of experiences. Most of these reports say that stuff like NDE’s and OBE’s were experienced. Some reports even state that the sensory systems were working and patients were aware of the sounds in the room (something like in the movie “Awake”). However, usual REM sleep shouldn’t be possible and I couldn’t find any articles on this matter that say if dreaming is actually possible.
Paulius do you know what kind of brain activity is present during a coma? I too wonder if coma patients even can go into rem.