Why do we dream? 9 interesting facts about dreams and nightmares

Dreaming can be sweet, scary, and strange! Why do we dream at all? How much do you know about dreams and nightmares? Here we will review these things and help you remember your dreams better.

What is the dream?

Dreams are hallucinations that happen during certain stages of sleep. We have the most dreams during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, but this is when we are less likely to remember the dream. Much information is available regarding the effect of sleep on regulating metabolism, blood pressure, brain function, and other aspects of health. But it is more difficult for researchers to explain the impact of “dreaming” on the physical conditions of the body.

When you are awake, your thoughts have a specific logic. When you sleep, your brain is still active, but your thoughts or dreams are often few and far between. The reason is that the emotional part of the brain controls the dream, not the logical part.

Although there is no definitive evidence, dreams are usually thoughts related to a person’s daily life that arise based on a person’s everyday life and activities, conversations, or other life problems. However, there are many general theories regarding the role of dreams.

What is the meaning and concept of the dream?

Dreams are basically stories or images that our minds create while we sleep. The dream can be vivid and cause happiness, sadness, or fear. These images can also be confusing or completely logical and realistic.

Dreams can occur at any time during sleep, but lucid dreaming, called REM (rapid eye movement), occurs when the brain is active. Some experts say we dream at least 4 to 6 times a night.

Sigmund Freud believed that dreams are like a window that opens to our subconscious and reveals hidden parts of us, Including:

• Unconscious desires and wishes
• Thoughts
• Motivations

Just as there are different ideas and opinions about the cause of dreaming, there are also different opinions about the meaning of dreams. Some experts declare that dreams have nothing to do with real feelings and thoughts. They are just strange stories that have nothing to do with our regular lives.

Another group of experts states that dreams may reflect our thoughts and feelings, such as wishes, fears, and worries, Especially constantly repeated dreams. By interpreting and interpreting dreams, we can gain deep insight into ourselves and our lives. Some people admit that they come up with interesting ideas while dreaming.

Often people report having similar dreams, such as being chased by someone, falling from a height, or appearing naked in public. These types of dreams usually occur due to stress or anxiety. Dreams may be similar, but experts believe each dream’s meaning is unique and special for each person.

Experts advise not to refer to dream interpretation books because they suggest the same sign or image for each dream, while the meaning and meaning of each dream are different and specific to each person.

In which part of the brain does lucid dreaming occur?

Research has shown that lucid dreaming occurs in a part of the brain that usually rests during nighttime sleep. Lucid dreaming is a state in which the brain is between REM and wakefulness.

Lucid dreamers can influence their dream and change its story. This is a good thing, especially when one is having a nightmare. But experts say letting your dreams take their natural course is best.

What is a nightmare?

A nightmare is a bad dream. Nightmares are common in adults and children. Usually, the reasons for seeing nightmares are:

• Stress, conflict, or fear
• Trauma
• Emotional problems
• Medications or drug abuse
• Diseases

If you keep having nightmares, your subconscious mind tries to tell you something, so listen to it.

If you do not understand why you are having nightmares, it is better to see a specialist. They can help you find the cause of your nightmares and advise you how to relax.

Remember that no matter how scary a nightmare is, it is unreal and will not happen in real life.

What is the reason for dreaming?

There are many theories about the cause of dreaming, but none are definitive. Some researchers believe that dreams do not have a specific purpose or meaning. Others say we need sleep for mental, emotional, and physical health.

Studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of dreaming on human health. In one study, participants were awakened just as they entered REM sleep, and found that those who were not allowed to sleep experienced symptoms that included:

• A lot of tension and stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Decreased concentration time
• Lack of coordination
• Weight Gain
• Creating illusions

Many experts believe that dreams can help in the following cases:

• Help to solve life problems
• Memorizing memories
• Emotion processing

If you go to bed with a disturbing thought, you may find a solution or feel better after waking up.

Some dreams help the brain process daily thoughts and events. Other dreams may be caused by regular brain activity. Researchers are still trying to figure out why we dream.

Information is available on the role of sleep in regulating metabolism, blood pressure, brain function, and other aspects of health, but it is difficult to explain what the role of dreams was on these factors.

When you are awake, your thoughts have a certain logic. When you sleep, the brain is still active, but the thoughts or dreams lack logic or have no particular meaning because the emotional part of the brain controls the dream, not the logical part.

Although there is no definite evidence dreams are based on a person’s daily life and activities, conversations, or other life problems; however, there are many general theories about the role of dreams.

The role and goals of dreams.

Researchers still do not fully agree on the purpose of dreams. However, there are different theories and opinions in this field.

Dreams are like a therapist:

Your dreams may be a way to deal with difficult moments in life; Because the emotional level of the brain is more active during sleep than when awake, the brain may communicate with emotions in this state, which is not possible during wakefulness.

Dreams as training for fight or flight:

One of the parts of the brain that is active during sleep is called the amygdala. This part is related to the instinctive part of survival and response to war or danger.

One theory states that the amygdala is more active during sleep than when awake, which is the brain’s way of preparing you to deal with threats or danger.

Fortunately, the brain stem will relax the muscles by sending nerve signals in the REM stage. That way, you won’t be trying to run or hit while you sleep.

Dreams are like every person’s thoughts:

Another theory about why we dream is that sleep and dreaming can help us be creative. All artists have inspired part of their artworks from their dreams. You may have had the experience of waking up with a good idea for a movie or song. When awake, you may apply a logic filter to your thoughts and feelings, but your thoughts and ideas are unlimited when you are asleep.

Dreams as an aid to memory:

Another theory about the purpose of dreaming is that it helps you store essential memories and important teachings in your mind, remove unimportant memories from your mind, and organize your complex thoughts.

According to research and reliable sources, sleep can help store memories. If you learn new information and then sleep, you will be better able to remember and recall it later.

How dreams affect memory storage and recall is still unclear. Dreams help the brain to store important information more effectively and prevent stimuli that interfere with memory and learning.

The cause of nightmares.

Dreams that help you come to terms with feelings, memories, and other pleasant information are very helpful. A nightmare is a type of dream that turns into a frightening or disturbing dream. Nightmares are seen due to stress, anxiety, or sometimes due to reactions to certain medications.

However, you may have a sleep disorder if you constantly have nightmares. Seeing scary dreams regularly in sleep is known as a sleep disorder. These nightmares can have the following symptoms:

• Anxiety about sleeping
• Causes frequent awakening and sleep disturbance
• Occurrence of other sleep problems or mental problems

Many people experience nightmares in their lifetime. However, according to the estimates of the American Sleep Association, only about 5% of the population experiences a sleep disorder.

What factors contribute to seeing dreams?

Some factors that affect us when we are awake can also affect our dreams during sleep.

1. Health conditions:

One of the most significant factors affecting dreams is the amount of sleep. Lack of sleep for a night or two (or more) can make parts of the brain more active during REM sleep. If you are restless for a few nights, you are more likely to have vivid dreams and remember them more easily.

Being pregnant is also one factor in seeing a clear dream because the increase in hormone production affects the processing of a person’s thoughts and feelings and usually leads to intense dreams.

Mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety, as well as bipolar disorder and other mental conditions, can cause a person to see intense and disturbing dreams and nightmares. Antidepressants and antipsychotics are associated with a high risk of nightmares.

2. Food:

There is no evidence that certain foods lead to nightmares with good sleepers. But certain foods may help you remember your dreams better.

For example, foods containing a lot of carbohydrates can provide you with energy immediately, but after a while, you feel that you have lost your energy. Anything that affects your waking state also affects your unconscious sense. So if consuming sugar during the day makes you feel uncomfortable and depressed, this feeling also affects your sleep.

Also, foods that wake you up during the night may wake you up when you are in REM sleep. When this happens, you are likely to remember most of the dreams you have had.

3. daily activities:

Just as lack of sleep or interrupted sleep leads to vivid dreams, a good and comfortable night’s sleep also prevents the recall of dreams.

According to research and reliable sources, one of the best ways to get a good night’s sleep is to exercise in the morning. For example, jogging and doing cardiovascular exercises before noon will make you fall asleep faster, and you will experience a deeper sleep than when you don’t exercise.

Runners or other fitness enthusiasts tend to spend less time in REM sleep because it is the lightest stage of sleep. Also, the more you try to relieve stress during the day, the less stress you will take to bed. This method will help you more successfully eliminate nightmares and sleep disorders.

Can dreams predict the future?

Sometimes dreams come true or predict future events. Experts say that when you have a dream and experience it in your real life, it could be due to the following:

• Accidental
• bad memory
• Unsolicited communication of information

But sometimes, dreams can motivate a person to be on a specific path, and as a result, the person’s future can change.

Why is it difficult to remember dreams?

Researchers have yet to come to a firm conclusion about why dreams are easily forgotten. The human brain may be designed not to store all dreams; if we remember everything, we may be unable to separate real memories from dreams.

It is also difficult to remember dreams because, during the REM stage, the part of the brain system responsible for creating memories shuts down. We may only remember dreams right before we wake up when certain brain activities resume.

Some experts believe the brain does not forget dreams, but we do not know how to access them. Dreams may be stored in our memory until we remember them. This may account for the claim that sometimes we suddenly remember part of a dream during the day.

Tips to remember the dream.

If you are one of those people who sleep until morning and don’t wake up, you will remember less of your dreams. The following tips may help you remember the dream:

1. Waking up without an alarm clock:

If you wake up naturally without the sound of the alarm clock, you will be more likely to remember the dream. As soon as the clock starts ringing, the brain will focus on shutting out the disturbing sound and forget about the dream.

2. Remind yourself to remember the dream:

If you choose to remember your dreams, you will be more likely to remember them the following day. Before you go to sleep, remind yourself that you will remember and remember your dream.

3. Thinking about the dream after waking up:

If you think about your dream immediately after waking up, it will be easier to remember. If you are curious about your dreams or want to understand all the details and meanings, you can write down your dreams in a notebook.

4. dream writing:

Keep a notebook and pen beside your bed, and immediately after waking up, write down every part of your dream that you remember and how it made you feel, even if you remember the separate parts.

5. Don’t judge your dreams:

Dreams are sometimes strange and may go against social norms. Try not to judge yourself based on the dreams you see.

6. The title of dreams:

Choosing a title for the dream will make it easier to refer back to it. Sometimes the title you consider for a dream can help you understand its meaning.

Dreams have been interesting to humans since the beginning of creation, and sometimes they confuse us. Science helps us learn more about the brain’s workings, but we may need help understanding the meanings behind dreams.

Some interesting facts about dreams.

Although there is still no apparent reason for dreaming, researchers have reached some conclusions about the cause of why we dream. Here are ten facts about dreams that you should know.

1. Everyone will experience dreaming:

Adults and children sleep almost two hours daily, even people who claim they never sleep. Researchers have found that people usually have different dreams each night, lasting between 5 and 20 minutes. During normal life, each person spends an average of 6 years of their life in dreams.

2. You will forget most dreams:

Shortly after waking up, 95% of dreams are quickly forgotten. According to one theory of why dreams are hard to remember, the changes that occur in the brain during sleep do not support the processing and storage of information to form a memory.

The brain scans of different people show that the frontal lobe, a part of the brain that plays an important role in memory formation, is not active during sleep, especially during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage.

3. Not all dreams are colored:

Most people say they dream in color; only 12% claim they dream in black and white. In some studies, people who had just woken up were asked to choose colors from charts corresponding to their dreams. Finally, they realized that most of the chosen colors were pastel colors.

People under the age of 25 rarely report black-and-white dreams. However, people over 55 report black-and-white dreams approximately 25 percent of the time. Researchers believe this difference results from the experience of black and white television in childhood. The result of this research is confirmed by another old study that shows that people in the 1940s rarely reported seeing colorful dreams.

4. The dreams of men and women are different:

After studying the dreams of men and women, scientists noticed differences between them. The scientists observed that men were more likely than women to dream about guns, while women were more likely than men to dream about their clothes and appearance.

Another difference between dreams in men and women is that men see more dreams with aggressive content and physical activities. In contrast, women’s dreams revolve around conversations and do not involve much physical activity.

Women tend to have more characters in their dreams. Regarding characters that appear in dreams, men are twice as likely as women to dream of their same sex, while women dream of both genders equally.

5. Animals probably dream:

There are theories about animals dreaming; For example, when a dog moves its tail or legs in its sleep, it indicates it is dreaming. Although it is difficult to prove this claim, some researchers believe that animals also dream.

Animals, like humans, have sleep cycles, including the REM and NONREM cycles.

6. Negative emotions are more common in dreams:

Over a period of 40 years, Dr. Calvin S. Hall collected more than 50,000 sleep and dream records from his students. This research became available to everyone during the 1990s. These reports show that people experience different emotions in their dreams. However, the most emotions experienced in dreams are anxiety and negative emotions.

7. Blind people may have visual dreams:

Studies have shown that even people who were blind from birth can experience visual dreams. Also, during sleep, they have eye movements, which indicates dreaming.

Although the eye movements of these people during the REM stage were less than the sighted participants, these studies show that blind people had the same dreams as sighted people.

8. The body becomes paralyzed in sleep:

In the REM stage, voluntary muscles are paralyzed. This condition is known as sleep atonia and prevents you from moving during sleep. Because the motor neurons are not stimulated, the body will not move.

Sometimes, a person may feel motionless and paralyzed after waking up, which lasts for about 10 minutes; called sleep paralysis.

Although the experience of paralysis is challenging and scary, experts say it is normal and lasts only a few minutes, after which the muscles will move.

9. Some dreams are universal:

Although our personal lives entirely influence dreams, researchers have found that some dreams are common in different cultures.

For example, different people in all parts of the world see in their dreams that someone is following them; they are attacked or thrown from somewhere. Other common experiences in dreams include:

• Feeling frozen and unable to move.
• Arriving late.
• Flying.
• Being naked in front of the public.

These are exciting information that you should know about dreaming.