On the Illusion of Flying in Dreams: The Mechanism of its Occurrence

It is shown that there is no need to resort to exoteric hypotheses to explain flight in a dream. From the standpoint of biophysics, the phenomenon of “flying in a dream” is based on the already studied adaptive mechanisms and circadian rhythms of the human body. During sleep, the brain’s excitation thresholds change; this makes it easier in some brain areas to excite weak signals. One of the mechanisms of such excitation occurs when a person changes his posture during sleep, which is perceived by the brain in the rapid eye movement sleep phase as a decrease in body weight. This, under certain conditions, can contribute to the appearance in the brain of the illusion of flight.