The Ancient Sumerians believed that the waking state and the dreaming state were actually inverted. That is to say, what we know as reality is actually a dream, and what we know as dreaming is actually reality.
To "die" young was to be envied. It meant the God's couldn't bear to spend any time separated from you. They wanted you in their lap, like a cat being pet by giant hands.
But why is reality as we know it so consistent, and dreaming as we know it so erratic? The average person's dream journal is indistinguishable from the diary of a schizophrenic.
Well, have you ever considered that schizophrenics are actually the sanest people around? In a crazy world, what we consider normalcy is lunacy.
Perhaps, just perhaps, if you could open your mind to the possibility that reality is an escape. If our dream state represents our true state, and our true state is actually so bzizarre—then it could make sense that when we lay our heads to rest (in the dream state which is actually the real state), our mind constructs a logically consistent and continuous oasis (which is our perceived reality but is actually the true dream state).
So, it follows that when you wake up, you're actually going to sleep. And when you're going to sleep, you're actually waking up. Your dreams are actually memories and your memories are actually dreams.
The Ancient Sumerians also fucked camels and withered away because they pissed on their soil so much it became infertile. Take that as you will.