Do dreams really guard sleep? Evidence for and against Freud's theory of the basic function of dreaming

Persisting Myths Surrounding Sigmund Freud's Dream Theory: A Reply to Hobson's Critique of the Scientific Status of Psychoanalysis

“…But these are certainly not alone. There are already more recognized research paradigms, such as, for example, the clinico-anatomical study of dreaming (Bischof & Bassetti, 2004;Solms, 1995Solms, , 1997Solms, , 2000Solms, , 2011Yu, 2006Yu, , 2007, the series of studies that investigated the function of dreaming to protect the sleep (for review, see Guénole, Marcaggi, & Baleyte, 2013), and the biological drive frustration paradigm (Bokert, 1968; for review, see Colace, 2009bColace, , 2014. All of these research paradigms show that Freud's dream theory has all of the necessary scientific credentials and is formulated in such as way to be actually subject to empirical control.…”

The reality of dreams

“…Scientific work approves that dream memory gradually decreases from the commencement of adulthood and that dream reports become less powerful with age. This development happens quicker in men than women, and gender variations in the content of dreams have also been recorded 30 .…”