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We can all agree that dreaming is a quite odd phenomenon
No one really knows why do we dream, even though there are a few quite interesting theories.
We all dream and even if you think you don’t, you simply forget and you cannot remember.
The truth is that dreams disappear quite fast, especially if you don’t aim to remember them.
What is more, dreaming appears during a certain stage of our sleep, without our conscious decision.
But do dreams have any meaning at all? What is causing our mind to project these images, ideas, and sensation while we sleep?
We will observe commonly asked questions, and more!
1. What do your dreams actually mean?
2. What are the causes of dreaming?
3. How long do dreams really last? Do dreams last for 3 seconds?
4. Do you dream every night?
5. What does it mean if you dream every night?
6. Do certain foods make you dream more?
7. Can you control your dreams?
1. What do your dreams actually mean?
This is a very controversial topic, that does not have one specific answer.
People have a different kind of beliefs about what dreams are, including:
1) Driven by unconscious wish fulfillment
For example, the psychotherapist Sigmund Freud believed that the content of dreams indicates the unconscious wishes and desires.
2) Messages to the dreamer
Furthermore, Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, explained that dreams are messages to the dreamer.
He also believed that dreams send to the dreamer signs that can potentially help to solve emotional problems and worries.
3) Parts of the self
From the other side, the German psychiatrist Fritz Perls believed that dreams are projections of the parts of the self that have been ignored, rejected, or suppressed.
He argued that one could consider every person in the dream to represent an aspect of the dreamer.
4) A result of random signals from the brain and body during sleep
The activation-synthesis theory, by Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley, suggests that a wide variety of neural activity happens while we rest.
Sleep helps the brain to operate a different kind of actions such as cleaning up the brain and absorbing memories from the previous days.
Furthermore, parts in the brain are very active during REM sleep.
For instance, this includes some areas of the limbic system, which is involved in emotions, sensations, and memories.
The brain incorporates and interprets this inner activity and tries to formulate meaning from these signals, which results in dreaming.
5) No meaning at all
Finally, there is also a group of people that refuse to believe that dreams are having any meaning at all.
They don’t bother themselves and they don’t try to figure out if their subconscious mind is trying to ”tell them” something.
So there is obviously not one answer to this question. People have different kind of beliefs about dreaming.
Clearly, it is up to you, when deciding what to believe.
Even though there are many theories, yet we do not completely understand the meaning of dreams.
However, there is one very important part.
If you believe that dreams are having a certain meaning, it is essential to consider that,
We often make the mistake, to look at our dreams with our waking mind. We search from a logical explanation.
However, it is crucial to understand that dreams are speaking to us in a symbolic and metaphorical way!
2. What are the causes of dreaming?
Similar to the previous question, it is simple to ask but quite challenging to answer.
Researches and dream theories suggest that the causes of dreaming COULD BE:
1) To organize the brain
– Dreaming is a way to ”cut” unimportant information from the brain in order to optimize it as well as to keep the mind organized.
2) Because of random signals
– As mentioned before, Hobson & McCarley stated that dreaming is the result of random impulses coming from the brain stem.
3) To support problem-solving
– Another theory presents that dreams might be for mental and emotional problem-solving.
Our dreams might help us to read indirect signs that go ignored during the day.
This is a good example of why “sleeping on it” can provide a solution to a problem.
4) To fight back traumatic experiences
One more possible theory is that dreams may be a way of coping with trauma.
Based on the depth of our emotions, we create dreams to cope with specific situations.
Honestly, for every assumption or suggestion, there are also arguments against these theories of dreaming.
This is why we don’t have one specific and certain answer to ”what are the causes of dreaming”;
we can only assume until research with pieces of evidence convinces and prove the real causes of dreams.
3. How long do dreams really last? Do dreams last for 3 seconds?
Dreams do not last 3 seconds.
Dreams usually appear in the 5th stage of sleep, called REM sleep. During this period, our brains activity increases, our pulse quickens, and we have vivid dreams.
At the beginning of the night, approximately after 90 minutes, we are having our REM sleep, where our first dream appears. It usually lasts around 10 minutes.
REM stages typically get longer and longer as the night goes by.
So, for instance, in the early morning, before waking up, our dreams can be between 20-45 minutes! It really depends on the person.
4. Do you dream every night?
Yes, we all do. Only very rare cases, rare conditions or diseases might prevent someone from dreaming.
Yet, It is estimated that we dream each night, approximately 2 hours, throughout the whole night.
5. What does it mean if you dream every night?
As a matter of fact, studies proved that subjects from researches reported that they remembered their dreams extremely vividly when awakened immediately after REM sleep.
If you feel like you dream all night, and every night, you may be waking up during or immediately after the REM stage.
So, if you dream every night, that’s completely normal and it doesn’t mean anything bad. In truth, most people dream about the same amount.
The only difference is that we all have a different level of dream recall.
Furthermore, people who claim that they don’t dream have simply a very bad dream remembrance.
6. Do certain foods make you dream more?
Yes, specific foods can make your dream more and they can also help you to remember your dreams better!
The secret behind is the nutrient content of some foods.
For instance, tryptophan, serotonin and vitamin B6 are associated with higher dream recall and vividness.
So consuming foods that are containing these nutrients can drastically enhance your dreams!
As a matter of fact, we have an article with the top 30 foods that promote dreaming, so feel free to check the details here.
7. Can you control your dreams?
Believe it or not, but there is a way to learn how to control your dreams
and shape them as you want!
Lucid dreaming starts with simply being aware that you are dreaming. However, by a lot of practice and dedication, you can reach a profound level of control over your dream world!
It is an amazing skill, that can bring you plenty of amazing benefits!
I Always dream about broken glass And glass cutting
I actually don’t remember my dreams.but there are some dreams where I goes in my childhood where I’m with my parents. Long back I have lost my Mom an my Dad no longer stay’s with me but still why do I get Dream that we are together. Is this because I miss my family.
I recently had a dream that I was on a ship it was real nice as I was passing by a room on the ship I saw two women participating in sexual Intercourse then next thing I knew the ship was falling a part as I watch the other side sink I see my sister with my niece and nephew falling with ship and drown then my side begins to sink and I say repeatedly that I can’t swim and I’m under water but I’m not drowning and I can hear my self still repeating that I can’t swim. Then I wake up