Have you ever woken up in the morning and felt like you dreamt of something that felt very real to you? All living beings including humans and animals dream every time they sleep. More often than not, we end up not remembering what we dreamt of. Right, guys? Dreams as a concept, in general, feel so dreamy, right? Imagine going through a series of thoughts in your head while you’re resting and waking up to feel like they have happened. Sometimes, they are mysterious and we don’t even know if they actually happened or not.
So, let’s break down this concept and understand everything about dreams. Dreams are stories and images that our mind creates when we’re sleeping. They are sometimes entertaining, sad, scary or bizarre. Years and years of studies have gone in finding out the true meanings of each dream. But we still have so many questions. What happens when you dream? How can we control dreams, what does each dream mean? Stick around… because today, we are going to answer all these questions!
Why Do We Dream?
Dreams come in many shapes and forms. Sometimes, you have ordinary dreams that you might not remember and other times, they are simply out of this world. Research says that every human dreams at least 4 times per night wherein each dream lasts for about 20 mins. Of course, this is true in the case of people who are sleeping for 6-8 hours every day.
There is no proven reason or phenomena that proves that there is a reason behind dreams. While some people believe that dreams are a result of electrical impulses in our brain, others believe that dreams are a biological defence that our mind uses to prepare us for situations in a safe way. Famous psychologist, Sigmund Freud believes that dreams are the key to consciously repressing conflict from our lives. Another popular theory about why we dream comes from the theory that helps us in our creative tendencies. Artists of different kind credit dreams that inspire them for all of their creative work. Do you remember the last time you woke up dreaming and got an amazing idea for your next project? There are a few things that actually influence the kind of dreams you get to experience. We have made a list of the top three things. Read on to know more.
Health Conditions
One of the biggest influences on dreams is how much you actually sleep. Being sleep deprived makes your brain more active. You are likely to have more vivid dreams if you have had a few restless nights. You are most likely to recall those dreams easily as opposed to the ones you get during deep sleep.
Women who are pregnant are also recipients of vivid dreams caused as a result of increased hormone production. Mental health issues like depression or anxiety also result in negative dreams or what we would like to call nightmares.
Eating Habits
Some food items are actually known to set the stage for you to remember your dreams better. High carb food items, for example, are known to give you good energy. But after a while, they are known to leave you down. Anything that affects your waking mood is likely to affect your unconscious mood.
There isn’t indisputable evidence that certain foods lead to wilder or better dreams. But it’s clear that some foods may set the stage for you to remember your dreams better.
High-carb foods, for example, can give you quick energy. But after a while, they can leave you feeling down. Anything that affects your waking mood is likely to affect your unconscious mood, too. So, if a sugar crash has you moping around during the day, those feelings could carry over into your sleep.
Workout
Just like how one can have vivid dreams due to interrupted sleep, working out can actually help you sleep better and will cut down on the intense dreams. A study found that one good way to sleep more soundly is to exercise in the morning. A good run or other cardio workouts before noon will help you set your clock. Also, the more effectively you can de-stress during the day, the less likely you’ll be to bring stress and anxiety to bed. That should help cut down on nightmares and interrupted sleep each night.
Emotional & Mental Benefits Of Dreaming
While dreams can or cannot make sense, they come with a lot of emotional and mental benefits. Dreaming every day, just like we mentioned, is a sign of peaceful sleep patterns. That, in turn, means that you are sleeping well. Other than that, they also help you in getting a sense of your daily routine. Some researchers believe that dreams serve as theatrical reenactments of real-life situations, allowing us to digest what’s going on in our lives. Other than that, dreams also help people in making their memory sharp. Dreams that trigger emotions actually help us in coping with threatening situations in real life. They help people in dealing with negative emotions like fear or panic.
Fun Facts About Dreams
- No matter how much you try, you end up forgetting 90 per cent of your dreams.
- Blind people also dream. People who are born blind do not see any visuals, but have dreams equally vivid involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion.
- Every human being dreams. If you think you are not dreaming then it’s only because you forget most of your dreams.
- In our dreams, we only end up seeing faces that we know about. Very rarely will you get to see faces that are unknown to you.
- Not everyone dreams in colour. You actually end up dreaming in black and white sometimes. Yes! A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number have technicolour dreams.
- Dreams are always meant to be symbolic. They always mean something.
- The most common emotion experienced in dreams is anxiety. Negative emotions are more common than positive ones.
- You can have almost four to seven dreams in one night.
- Animals dream too – If you ever see a dog sleep, you can sometimes see them growl or move their paws in their sleep.
- Longer dreams occur during the wee hours of the morning.
- You can’t read or tell the time while dreaming
- If you wear glasses in real life, your dreams could possibly be blurry since you are not wearing your glasses while sleeping.
- There are people who love to sleep and never want to wake up from a dream. For them, the dream is a drug.
- Dream catchers are actually meant to protect you from nightmares.
- Men and women usually dream differently.
Types Of Dreams And Their Meanings
We all get to experience different types of dreams. While sometimes, dreams mean nothing, there are particular types of dreams that have a meaning to it. We have listed some common dreams and what they really mean.
1. Being Chased
This is one of the most common dreams that people talk about. This fear is not only because we’re running from something, but it is also mostly because of what we’re running from. Chasing dreams usually mean that there is something in our life that needs our total attention.
2. Water
Seeing water in your dreams usually means that you are feeling unloved or unsupported by your loved ones.
3. Car Crash
If you are dreaming about a car crash then that simply means that you are low on self-confidence.
4. Being trapped
Being trapped usually means that you are worried about your current situation. It could be getting trapped in a wrong job, house or even a relationship.
5. Teeth Falling
This dream interpretation is related to how strong and confident you feel in your daily life. It possibly signifies that you find something difficult in your life that is causing you to lose that feeling of confidence.
6. Babies
Seeing babies or seeing someone have a baby could mean that you want to explore your inner child. It could also mean that you are looking at expanding your family.
7. Death
While this may be one of the most unpleasant dreams, but a lot of people call this a good kind of dream. This dream just means that you are changing your mind about things and accepting change in life.
8. Food
Dreaming about food usually means that you are actually hungry. I usually dream about food every time I go on a diet. Well, that is just really one thing that I think about all day long!
9. Falling In A Deep Pit
Falling in your dream is an indication of insecurities, instabilities, and anxieties. You are feeling overwhelmed and out of control in some situation in your waking life and if you are constantly dreaming about this then there is something in your life that needs to change.
10. Having sex
How often do you see dreams about having sex? The reason for constantly seeing sex-related dreams is when your body wants to satisfy the physical impulses. Basically, it is a way for your body to release any sexual energy that you have had for a while.
Dreams In Animals
Like we said, Animals dream too. Almost all animals except a very few dreams. Since it is hard to look at and observe every animal that is there, it has always been very tough to figure out if animals dream. However, at and dog owners have repeatedly confirmed that they see their pets dream often. Some have also sent clips of their dogs dreaming and barking in their sleep. Apart from that, many researchers have also been convinced over the years that many other mammals and birds have also shown behaviours of dreaming.
Part of the evidence stems from what we call Rapid Eye Movement sleep, or REM sleep, which was discovered in 1953. In humans, this stage of sleep is actually the stage when the human brain starts to dream. After identifying REM sleep in humans, scientists soon began studying it in animals. They have studied almost all animals from dogs and cats to duck and platypuses. Not just that, they have been studying reptiles. All these animals are said to be in their REM when they start to dream just like humans.
Interesting, right? So, what do you dream of often?
Featured Image: Shutterstock
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