Are animals able to dream?

SLEEP IS A MYSTERIOUS THING. FOR A long time, we weren't sure why we do it.

- Beki Hooper

Now we know that sleep has evolved for multiple reasons - to allow the body to heal and to clean our brains of toxins, for example. We also know that animals sleep for the same reasons. But why exactly do we dream, and do animals dream, too? Dreams help to strengthen memory. The more we dream, the better our memories are. But it is also thought that dreams 'train' us how to respond to different situations - not just situations we've already been exposed to, but also those that we might one day face. By experiencing new situations in our dreams, we apply what we've learnt in our everyday lives to new contexts, and this