Here are ten surprising facts about dreams that’ll help you understand them better.
Dreaming is for Everyone
Every single one of us dreams when we close our eyes, even if we don’t remember it the next day. Our dreams come during the REM stage of sleep when our brains are working as hard as they do when we’re awake. This is the brain’s time to work through all the day’s emotions & information.
A World Not Always in Color
While some of us dream in all the colors of the rainbow, some people see their dream world in black and white. Around 12% of people see their dreams this way while the figure was at around 25% when black and white TVs were more popular. Who knew the switch to color could affect how we dream?
Those Repeat Dreams Mean Something
Y’know those dreams where you’re back in school and unprepared for a test, over & over? Recurring dreams like this are your brain’s way of drawing attention to something in your life that needs some more care – like work stress or unresolved issues. Whatever the problem, these dreams are trying to make you take a closer look to sort a few things out.
Nightmares Aren’t All Bad
Waking up from a nightmare certainly feels awful but there are actually benefits to it. Essentially, they’re a practice run for dealing with real-life scares – preparing you to face those fears head-on when you’re awake. It doesn’t make them seem any less real – although you might take some comfort in the fact that your brain is just doing an emergency drill.
Even Fido Dreams
Anyone with a pet has probably seen them twitching in their sleep—that’s because they’re dreaming. Animals, especially our dogs & cats, dream just like us and they move their paws or make noises while they do it. They’re probably just chasing dream rabbits or catching dream frisbees.
Take the Wheel in Your Dreams
Lucid dreaming is when you realize you’re dreaming and then take control of it, deciding what happens next. It’s a skill you can get better at with practice & it’s especially handy for turning nightmares into something a bit more pleasant. For example, lucid dreamers can fly or explore space from the comfort of their beds.
Dreams as a Muse
Some of the coolest inventions & works of art were born from dreams. For example, the idea for the periodic table popped into Dmitri Mendeleev’s head while he was dreaming and Paul McCartney came up with the tune for “Yesterday” while sleeping. Somehow, our dreaming brains are creative in a way we can’t always experience during the day.
Dreaming Outside the Box
Similarly, whenever you’re stuck on a problem, you should sleep on it. Dreams help us to think outside the box & come up with solutions we might not have considered while awake. Our brains remove all the filters so that we can let our wildest ideas, meaning that the answer to what’s been bugging you could come in a dream.
When Dreams and Being Awake Collide
Sleep paralysis is when you wake up but feel like you can’t move or speak. It happens when you’re stuck between dreaming & waking, which can result in some hallucinations. Some of these can be quite terrifying. However, knowing it’s merely a mix-up in your sleep cycle can make it less scary.
Dreams That See the Future
While it’s not exactly common, there are stories of dreams predicting future events. For example, many people have had dreams about natural disasters days or weeks before they’ve actually happened. Of course, this is likely due to our brains noticing patterns & clues we don’t consciously pick up on instead of actual fortune-telling. But it’s fun to think about!