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The author, chief of the section of Psychophysiology of Sleep of the NIMH, speculates on the function of the REM state of sleep. Snyder reviews the material known about REM state, citing evidence from REM deprivation and other experimental sources as well as its existence in other species. He proposes a 'sentinel' function, related to the 'fight or flight' mechanism, suggesting that human dreaming may serve a similar function.