My dog sleeps by my side in bed at night. The other night, she wagged her tail vigorously in her sleep, as if she met someone she liked. That made me wonder: Do animals dream just like humans do?

Studies done by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers using rats suggest they do. The researchers trained rats to run along a circular track for a food reward. They monitored the animals' brain activity during the task and while they were asleep. Rats go through multiple stages of sleep, from slow-wave sleep to REM sleep. The researchers found that half of the rats' REM episodes (more than 40 REM episodes were examined) repeated the brain activity that was created while the animals were running in the track. In humans, it is during REM sleep that most dreaming occurs.
For more information on this study by MIT researchers, click here.

I hope my pets have good dreams. Sweet dreams, Maggie!