~ An average person spends 6 years dreaming ~

If we say that we all get the recommended 8 hours of sleep (which is definitely true), one can make the claim that we spend a third of our lives sleeping. This sounds like a lot and might frustrate some with sleeping’s unproductive nature.

But don’t worry, sleep is not only necessary and beneficial but can be very productive. For example, last night, I had a fascinating dream, prompting the idea for this blog.

What my dream revolved around is unimportant. Let’s just say it was pretty realistic, making me check Infinite Campus in the morning to see if I really did fail Adapted Art last semester. However, it got me thinking about why I would dream something so random, and whether or not there was a significance behind all of my dreams.

So I turned to Google.

 

~ We usually forget our dreams within the first 5 minutes.
In just 10 minutes, 90% of the dream is gone with the wind. ~

 

Quick biology facts:

Dreams are a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep. While dreams can occur in most sleep stages, dreams are most vivid in REM sleep. REM (rapid eye movement) is the sleep stage in which the brain operates as it does when it is awake – it processes, organizes, and interprets information. The REM stage is where deep sleeping occurs, and the amount of time spent in the REM stage increases as the night goes on.

Dreams are caused by the brain processing internally generated stimuli during these sleep cycles. Images are chosen by both the activation of memories and figurative thinking.  Many parts of the brain are activated and deactivated during REM, for example, the limbic system, cerebellum, and occipital lobe are activated, while the deactivation of the prefrontal cortex causes an uncritical acceptance of dream content.

 

~People who became blind later in life see images in their dreams.
Those who have always been blind see vivid colors and shapes in their dreams, using their other senses.~

 

Do Dreams Have Meaning?

The deactivation of the prefrontal cortex causes the mind to represent content in a visual way through symbols and metaphors. In our waking moments, we push our deep thoughts to the side, but as we sleep, nothing is hidden from view. They may often be an unconscious reflection of our internal anxieties, fears, desires, hopes, and fantasies.

 

~ You might not recognize the person in your dream because you’ve seen so many people in your life, but you can only dream of people who you’ve encountered in your life. ~

 

So What?

It has been suggested that dreams could be crucial to our emotional and mental health and can be a means by which we solve problems and deal with emotions and thoughts. It is thought that dreams play an important role in providing us with the ability to function psychologically.

There is even a whole science, called oneirology, dedicated to the study of dreams. Oneirology focuses on how the brain works while dreaming as well as its relation to memory and mental disorders.

Additionally, psychotherapy is a common kind of talk therapy, which can cover a wide variety of topics from mental illnesses to emotional difficulties. Dreams can be used in psychotherapy, especially self-psychology, which focuses on understanding and empathizing with patients. A therapist can work with you to understand your dreams, identify meanings, messages and ideas, as well as offering perspective, reflection, and interpretation.

 

~ It’s more common to have negative dreams than positive ones.
Anxiety is the most common emotion experienced. ~

 

What Do Your Dreams Mean?

Falling: something isn’t going well in your life, fear in real life (failing), means you need to enjoy life more
Naked in public: indicating you feel fake or are afraid of showing your imperfections
Being chased: avoiding issues in your life instead of addressing them, wanting to escape your fears
Flying: less serious, more fun and happy, and are usually lucid dreams where you know you’re dreaming
Waking up: usually in the morning, close to when you’re going to wake up, tends to happen when you’re worried about the upcoming day and you want to be prepared to face the day
Taking a test: normally happens to students who have forms of testing-related anxiety, or to adults worried about their job

 

~ Men dream more aggressively and more about other men (70% of characters are men).
Women dream of women and men equally. ~

 

Sources

Livingston, Martin S. “Self Psychology, Dreams and Group Psychotherapy: Working in the Playspace.” Group, vol. 25, no. 1/2, 2001, pp. 15–26. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41718959.

Merced, Matthew. “Dreaming: Physiological Sources, Biological Functions, Psychological Implications.” The Journal of Mind and Behavior, vol. 33, no. 3/4, 2012, pp. 173–193. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43854340.

Shabi, K. “Salvador Dali Persistence of Memory: Meaning of the Melting Clocks.” LEGOMENON: What Is the Meaning: Online Literary Journal & Magazine, 29 May 2013, legomenon.com/salvador-dali-persistence-of-memory-melting-clocks-meaning.html.

“23 Most Interesting Facts About Dreams That Will Give You Goosebumps.” Emlii. N. p., 2018. Web. 11 Dec. 2018.