Have you ever wondered why we dream? And if so, what do our dreams mean? Well, you’re in the right place!
Dreams are a blissful part of our sleep cycle (for the most part), which usually give us some insight into what’s going on in our subconscious mind. And interestingly, there are some pretty universal dreams that we all tend to have sooner or later!
Today, we’re going to be talking about all things dreaming, along with some interesting fun facts. We’re also going to interpret a few common dreams that we all seem to have at some point on a universal level.
Read on to find out what our dreams mean and what they are trying to tell us…
What is dreaming?
Dreaming is actually more complicated than you may think.
Essentially, dreaming is a universal human experience. Everyone dreams. Your sensory, emotional, cognitive senses are all active, but you’re not technically conscious.
We don’t have any real control over what’s happening in our dreams, but we are technically conscious. Just not in the way we are when we’re wide awake.
There have been many scientific studies into dreaming, but the reasons as to why we do so remain pretty much unknown. Experts have theories, but that’s really all there is to it. Weird, right? That’s why the whole topic of dreaming is so interesting. We all do it, we all experience it, and there’s no way we can stop it.
Neuroscience will continue to look into the matter, however, psychoanalytic studies are pretty certain that there is a deeper connection between the subconscious and the conscious.
There’s a strong belief that our dreams are the way we talk to ourselves about situations or worries that may not have presented themselves in our conscious thought just yet.
Dreaming fun facts
Here are some interesting facts about all things dreaming:
- Animals also dream. So your dog dreams too. Yep.
- Not all of us dream in colour. Around 12% of people dream in black and white.
- Everyone you see in a dream, you’ve seen in real life. Even if you don’t remember. It’s kind of creepy, however, the brain cannot create a face that we have not seen before.
- During REM sleep (basically your deepest sleep) you’re paralyzed.
- Our bodies cannot move during REM sleep because if we could - we’d be acting out our dreams!
- Sometimes, it can take your body a little longer to come around - resulting in sleep paralysis. This is when you’re wide awake, but your body is still in an immobilised state. The whole thing usually lasts around 10 minutes, but it’s frightening!
- On average, we all have around 10 different dreams per night.
- Women can’t even catch a break in their sleep. Women are way more likely to have nightmares.
- A whopping 95% of us forget our dreams within minutes of waking up. So if you really want to know what your dream was all about - write it down as soon as you wake up to research later.
- Researchers literally don’t know why we dream. Scientifically speaking, anyway. They’re still trying to figure out what purpose dreaming serves us.
- You spend around 6 years of your life dreaming.
- You cannot snore and dream at the same time.
- Dreams are super symbolic. Chances are it’s a rooted message from your subconscious that’s trying to make its way into your conscious mind. Think of it as a message from yourself - to yourself.
The benefits of dreaming
As we mentioned, the dreaming magic happens when we are in our REM part of the sleep cycle. It’s absolutely essential for ensuring that we all get the rest our bodies need, along with quality sleep.
Top tip - if you struggle with getting into a deep sleep, invest in some black-out curtains and thank us later.
Many studies into dreaming have found direct links to certain health benefits. Some of the main positives include:
Dreaming makes you a nicer person
Well, it has the potential to. Getting enough REM dream time has been linked with feeling better rested, improving cognitive function, and improving our overall emotional wellbeing.
There’s a reason as to why you feel grouchy after a bad night’s sleep, and it isn’t technically your fault! You just didn’t get enough deep sleep. So what we’re saying is - getting enough quality sleep will put you in a better mood.
Dreaming helps us to process difficult emotions and improve problem-solving skills
Have you ever heard of the phrase “sleep on it” when you’ve faced something uncomfortable? There’s actually some scientific premise behind it.
Multiple studies into this subject have concluded that REM dreaming helps you to overcome difficult events, allowing you to come to an emotional understanding after some quality dreaming.
We won’t bore you with the in-depth version, but essentially - we reprocess and come to terms with our emotions and certain events subconsciously when we’re dreaming. Who would have thought?
Dreaming can improve creativity
Have you ever woken up from a particularly eventful dream and felt astonished at the rollercoaster your imagination has just taken you on? Turns out you’re not alone.
Dreaming has been linked with inspiring people to do all sorts of amazing things. For example, some of Stephen Spielberg’s biggest movie hits were inspired by plots that he’d thought up in his own dreams. The same has been reported for many famous creatives over the years.
Common dreams that people experience
Losing your teeth or hair in a dream
Okay, so first of all, if you’ve had a dream that your teeth and/or hair have fallen out - don’t panic just yet! We know these types of dreams can be dreadful to experience, however, It’s a very common dream topic. And the potential interpretations are far from your hair and teeth literally falling out.
Losing your teeth or hair in a dream can signify that you’re anxious about making a certain move. You could be moving house, moving to a new location, or even starting a new job. If you’re having dreams like this, take it as your mind trying to process something that’s out of your comfort zone.
You’re being chased
Being chased in a dream can mean that you’re avoiding something. It could be something completely irrelevant that you’ve put off, or something huge that you just don’t want to think about.
If you’ve been having dreams like this - try to face the issue head-on and get it out of the way. So your subconscious mind can stop giving you terrifying dreams!
You’re flying
Dreams that involve flying can mean that you’re feeling good. You’re in a good place.
Things are going right for you, and you have many exciting things in the pipeline. You feel excited about things to come, and you’re happy with where you are. It could be to do with all sorts, including your love life, career, family, or just life in general.
If this is what you’ve been dreaming about, things are going your way. So whatever you’re doing - keep doing it!
We hope that you’ve enjoyed discovering all about the dream realm, and what some common dreams could potentially mean. If you’re struggling to get some much-needed sleep - we offer the best collections of blackout curtains and blinds at superb prices, so be sure to check out our website for more.