My gut answer is that they're real, and that when we're sleeping or when we die our consciousness slips seamlessly into parallel universes. But it may just be that my brain has really long-form ways of trying to solve puzzles by turning them into audio-visual experiences.
[edit] I'm not on any meds, never taken antidepressants, and I've never done psychedelics. I do smoke pot occasionally, but oddly it tamps down the intensity of the dreams; the most vivid or memorable ones occur when I'm completely sober.
no... 3-4 cups of coffee a day, then usually some whisky or vodka.
To be honest, I don't think my dreams are more vivid than other people's; I just think I remember them better because I focus on trying to save them when I wake up. My father and brother both claim they never dream, but once in awhile they've remembered bits of one and they sound as wild as mine.
Take what I say with a grain of salt — please do your own research — but I think both THC (to which you allude earlier in this thread) and alcohol affect REM sleep/deep sleep. In fact, THC might suppress REM sleep, rebounding when sober. That is why frequent smokers (specially before-sleep smokers) experience very tough nightmares when trying to sober up.
What you say rings true. I'm not much of a THC user. Maybe once every couple months. When I do, I sometimes have very wild dreams early in the night, but I'm less likely to remember them. I don't use it much before bed, because although it feels as if I slept soundly, it always makes me wake up tired. I'm much more familiar with alcohol, and my sleep is divided by it each night into two parts. The first four hours of sleep are usually dreamless. At almost exactly four hours, I wake up and drink water. The next 3-4 hours are where the dreams occur. If I'm really catching up and can stay in bed for a full 9-10 hour sleep, the extra hours contain the most vivid, hallucinogenic dreams. So in my experience, I think both those substances impede good dreaming.
I don't mind nightmares. I kind of like them. Even if they're horrific I end up recalling them to help myself get back to sleep; then usually the ending changes.
Yes. Well, sometimes I drink wine or beer. I do my best thinking when the caffeine is at a maximum, my mind is racing, and the first 1-2 drinks are starting to lower my blood pressure and calm me down. Does that seem unusual to you?
[edit] I'm not on any meds, never taken antidepressants, and I've never done psychedelics. I do smoke pot occasionally, but oddly it tamps down the intensity of the dreams; the most vivid or memorable ones occur when I'm completely sober.