Why Dreams Feel Real

Your brain tricks you into thinking dreams are real by shutting down your prefrontal

cortex during sleep. This is the part responsible for logic and reality testing.

Without it active, your brain accepts everything happening as genuine experience. Meanwhile,

your sensory cortex fires up, creating vivid sensations of sight, sound,

and touch. Your emotional center stays fully awake too, which is why dreams

feel so intense. The kicker? Your brain also paralyzes your body so you don't act

out these experiences. When you wake up confused about what just happened, it's because your

logic center takes a few seconds to boot back up and separate fantasy from reality.