ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dreaming of Words

Have you ever had a dream where you heard someone talking to you or read words in your dream? Well, that happens because your brain still works even when you are asleep.

When you are awake, your brain receives signals from your senses – your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. This allows you to see, hear, smell, taste, and feel things around you. However, when you’re asleep, your brain doesn’t get as many signals from your senses. Instead, it makes its own signals.

Your brain can create images, sounds, smells, and even feelings that are not actually happening in the real world. So when you dream of hearing someone talking or reading words in your dream, it's just your brain making up those sounds and words. This can happen because your brain has stored memories of what those things sound like or look like.

It's a bit like when you play make-believe with your friends, except your brain is doing it all by itself. So, if you ever dream of words, it's just your creative brain showing off how good it is at making things up!