While we sleep, our minds quietly weave together fragments of memory, sometimes forming vivid dreams. But according to High-Risk, High-Reward (HRHR) NIH Director's Pioneer Award recipient Ken Paller, Ph.D., of Northwestern University and his co-author, Andrew Budson, MD, these nighttime narratives may offer insight into a possible framework for understanding consciousness.  

In a perspective article, Drs. Paller and Budson build on the Memory Theory of Consciousness – originally proposed by Drs. Budson, Elizabeth Kensinger, and Andrew Richman – to explore how sleep and dreams are connected to memory and consciousness. The theory proposes that people become aware of perceptions and thoughts only after they have processed them through memory. Extending this idea to sleep, the authors suggest that most memory processing happens unconsciously, and dreams arise when small pieces of this activity become part of a conscious story.  

During sleep, our brains review and reorganize memories in a process called consolidation. This process can strengthen or weaken connections without conscious awareness. In this view, dreams reflect a conscious story built from memories reactivated during sleep, while most consolidation continues outside awareness. And because memory links past and present, these processes also help us maintain a continuous sense of self.

The authors also discuss other research studies that show how memory can be shaped during sleep. In a technique called Targeted Memory Reactivation, playing certain sounds or releasing smells linked to previous learning can strengthen those memories. This discovery suggests that unconscious processes during sleep can also shape what we remember when awake.

The article invites us to rethink the connections between memory and consciousness. Our brains may not simply record what we perceive; they may help construct it, not just in our dreams but also our living reality. Sleep is an active and creative time for the mind, quietly shaping our memories, sense of self, and how we experience the world. 

Reference:

Budson, A. E., & Paller, K. A. (2025). Memory, sleep, dreams, and consciousness: A perspective based on the memory theory of consciousness. Nature and Science of Sleep, 17, 1957–1972. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S522975