Final answer:
Hypnagogic reverie increases cognitive processes such as learning and memory and might also help with stress regulation, due to sleep spindles during stage 2 sleep and REM rebound.
Step-by-step explanation:
Researchers have found out that hypnagogic reverie causes an increase in cognitive processes such as learning, memory, and possibly stress regulation. The hypnagogic state is a transitional phase between wakefulness and sleep, which involves theta wave activity in the brain, and has been associated with enhanced creativity and problem-solving abilities. It is also suggested that this phase may involve sleep spindles, which are rapid bursts of high frequency brain waves during stage 2 sleep that are important for learning and memory. In addition, REM sleep, which can be enhanced after hypnagogic reverie, might play a role in emotional processing and the regulation of stress responses through a phenomenon known as REM rebound.
Hypnosis, a state of intense focus and reduced peripheral awareness, has been shown to affect cognition and can lead to global changes in brain functioning. This might share similarities with the focused yet relaxed state of the hypnagogic phase. Therefore, hypnagogic reverie has been linked to an increase in certain cognitive functions, potentially offering an adaptive response to stress and aiding in memory consolidation.