Dreams have intrigued us from classic prophecies to modern psychology. They’re like personal movies that happen in our mind, sometimes fun, sometimes scary, and often wondrous. But what are dreams? Can we control dreams? What is happening in our brains while we slumber?

Let’s venture into the dreamscape and look at some of the most common questions about dreams, such as, lucid dreaming, nightmares, animal dreams, and symbols.

What Are Dreams?

Dreams are what happens when we experience images, sounds, feelings, and thoughts, mostly during REM sleep. Dreams can be surreal, symbolic, or feel completely real.

Scientists have found that REM sleep is the most vivid stage of sleep for dreaming, but dreaming also can occur during non-rem sleep, although those dreams are typically much less memorable.

What is especially interesting is that dreams do not follow the same logic as our thoughts when we are awake. Time bends, locations change, people become other people, but while we dream it often feels completely normal, until we wake up.

Why Do We Dream?

There’s no simple answer to this question, and there are many theories from scientists and psychologists. One supported theory is that dreaming helps our brain process emotions, memories, and information. This is the memory consolidation theory. When we sleep, the brain sorts everything that happened during the day and keeps what is important.

Other theories propose dreaming helps us rehearse threats (evolutionary theory); to demonstrate unconscious desires (Freud); they might serve as creative or problem-solving insight. Just think, some dreams have inspired inventions, books, and music. For example, Paul McCartney once said he received the melody of “Yesterday” in a dream.

So, perhaps we dream in order to feel, heal, remember, and envision at the same time.

What Is Lucid Dreaming?

Lucid dreaming is when you become aware of and sometimes are able to control your dream.

To imagine lucidity, consider this scenario: You’re flying above a city in a dream and you realise you’re dreaming. You decide to dive into a cloud. This is a lucid dream. Studies have shown that about 50% of people have had at least one lucid dream in their lifetime, and about 20% have them regularly.

Lucid dreams can be fun, but they can also be beneficial because they allow you to face fears, practice skills in a low-no risk environment, and gain insight into either waking life or your creative processes.

How to Lucid Dream

Want to take control of your dreams? Here are a handful of beginner methods:

• Reality Checks: Throughout your day, ask yourself, “Am I dreaming?” You can also try to push your finger through your palm or look twice at a digital clock. It is known that some things act strangely in dreams.
• Dream Journals: Write down your dreams every morning. This will help you remember more of your dreams, and you will be able to pick up on personal patterns you won’t remember otherwise.
• Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD): As you are falling asleep, re-iterate a phrase, like “I will realise I am dreaming.”
• Wake Back To Bed (WBTB): After sleeping for 5–6 hours, wake yourself for 20 minutes, and then go back to sleep. This increases the chance of you entering REM consciously

Consistency is important and it takes practice because lucid dreaming can be difficult, but you will find that the effort will reap rewards in terms of the experience.

How Do You Get a Lucid Dream?

Besides the methods above, here are a handful of supplemental tips to increase your chances at having a lucid dream:

• Sleep hygiene: Get at least 7–9 hours of sleep, and try to have a consistent sleep time.
• Meditation: Practicing mindfulness will increase dream awareness and possibly dream control.
• Supplements: Some individuals take supplements like galantamine, B6, or choline; however, such supplements should be consulted with a medical professional first.

If you put in the work, you may one day find yourself having frequent lucid dreams where you are a master explorer of dream worlds.

What’s a Fever Dream?

Fever dreams are intense, strange or disturbing dreams you have when your body temperature is running high. You may experience shapes that change, situations that loop, or an overwhelming sensation of stimuli.

You would be more inclined to have them when your brain is overheating and struggling to connect in ways you typically would do with relative ease. Therefore, fever dreams can seem confusing and surreal.

What Is Elusive Dreaming?

This is the term used to describe that aggravating feeling when you know that you dreamed something noteworthy or emotional, but just can’t remember what it was.

Often, elusive dreams leave you an emotional residue – confusion, nostalgia, or disquiet – with no real story behind it. Dream Journaling and practicing mindfulness may assist with recollections.

What Does It Mean if you Dream About Someone?

When you dream about someone, it typically represents thoughts or feelings, or perhaps unresolved issues you have with them.

• You miss or think about them
• They represent a part of yourself
• You’re processing memories or emotions linked to them

Interestingly, the person in your dreams may not even be about them at all – it may be what they represent. For example, if you are dreaming of your boss, it may relate to the power struggle or insecurity in yourself.

What Does It Mean to Dream About Someone Repeatedly?

If you are dreaming about a particular person in a recurring way, it may indicate your emotional connection to that person, unfinished business (separation), or something deeper within yourself. Are you missing closure? Is this person symbolically important for something else in your life?

Next time you have a dream about someone, try to identify the patterns of the dream: what the person says, how you feel about the person, and the location of the dream. These pieces may help you to unravel what your mind is seeking to process.

What Does It Mean to Dream About Your Teeth Falling Out?

Dreaming specifically about teeth falling out is very common and related to:

• Anxiety or insecurity about your appearance or communication
• Concern about aging and/or death
• Feeling hopeless or helpless

in some cultures, it is interpreted as a sign that life changes are coming. Some even believe it signals the birth of a child or the passing of a family member. The interpretations vary, however, it is typically considered a stressful experience.

Why Do I Dream About My Ex?

Having dreams about an ex doesn’t mean that you want to be with that person again. They could report:

• A desire for emotional connection
• Unresolved feelings or trauma.
• Parts of your identity that are tied to that relationship.

It may be good to ask yourself what dream evokes emotionally: nostalgia, regret, anger, or perhaps relief?

What if Someone Dreams about You?

This is a difficult one! Someone dreaming about you may merely reflect how you impacted the dreams that person. You may have said something, or perhaps you represent something emotionally impactful for that person.

But no, there is no evidence that you can “feel” someone dreaming about you (despite TikTok’s claims).

Why Don’t I Dream?

Chances are – you do dream. You just don’t remember them. Sleep deprivation or chronic sleep displeasure, stress, and alcohol can keep you from remembering your dreams. If you want to remember your dreams:

• Wake up slowly and remain in bed for a few minutes.
• Create a dream journal and keep it on your bedside table.
• Read a few dream-related books or articles.
• Before you sleep, set an intention to remember your dreams.

Eventually, you’ll probably start to remember more.

What Causes Nightmares and Bad Dreams?

There are many things that can elicit nightmares:

• Stress and anxiety
• Trauma or PTSD
• Medications
• Alcohol and drugs (and withdrawal)
• Sleep disorders

They are just the mind’s way of processing difficult emotions or preparing for perceived threats. Those with chronic nightmares (especially adults) may benefit from working with a therapist.

How to Stop Bad Dreams?

If the nightmares are getting you down, give these things a try:

• Get comfortable before sleeping (e.g. reading, warm bath, no screens).
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol.
• Try imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT)- Re-writing your nightmare with a positive twist
• Practice meditation or journaling to release emotional stress.

What Is a Wet Dream?

A wet dream occurs when a person has sexual arousal and sometimes ejaculation, while asleep.

• It usually happens while dreaming about sexual content.
• Wet dreams can occur at any age and is common in puberty.

A wet dream is your body’s natural release from sexual tension, and does not necessarily mean that the dream had sexual content. In other words, your mind and body do not necessarily have to be in sync while asleep!

What Do Dogs Dream About?

Researchers at MIT have shown that rats are capable of dreaming about events from their day, it’s likely dogs can too. If you see your dog twitching, growling, or barking while sleeping, he may be dreaming about going for a walk, chasing a toy, or dreaming about you!

Interestingly, small breeds seem to dream more while bigger breeds have longer dreams.

Do Cats, Babies, and Blind People Also Dream?

• Cats: Similar to dogs, cats will dream during REM sleep. If your cat’s whiskers move or its paws are twitching, it is likely ‘hunting’ something in dreamland.
• Babies: Infants spend almost 50% of their sleep pattern in REM, meaning they must be dreaming fairly often, it is presumed about some combination of sensations, faces, or voices they have experienced.
• Blind People: People blind from birth do dream, and typically involve their senses along with sounds, touching, smells, and emotional experiences rather than images.

What Is the American Dream?

The American Dream refers to the notion that in America, everyone has the possibility of achieving success in life and an increase in social mobility based on their hard work (regardless of their individual starting point).

In the modern world, there are people that claim this dream is shifting as we move away from the more traditional notion of wealth and property ownership and are now moving towards personal freedom and aspirations of fulfillment. As with anyone else’s hopes, it still represents hope- but not always an achievable expectation.

Have You Seen This Man in Your Dreams?

“This Man” is an urban legend stating that thousands of people have seen the same man in their dreams. The haunting face stemmed from a viral campaign, but it fired up people’s imaginations.

While it was later debunked as a hoax, it really made people think about collective consciousness and hypnosis and dream psychology.

Can Dreams Indicate Mental Health Concerns?

Yes. Dreams often represent what is going on in your emotional life. Recurring distressing dreams could represent anxiety, depression, or trauma, for example:

• Depression could yield sadness or sluggishness
• Anxiety could yield frenetic chaos
• PTSD often yields vivid repeating nightmares

If your dreams are affecting your quality of life, a conversation with a mental health professional could be beneficial.

How Long can Dreams Last?

Dreams can last from merely seconds to 30 minutes in length. A single night of sleep could contain as many as six separate dreams. The longest, most vivid dreams occur in the last third of the night, and often during the longer REM period.

The time we experience in dreams can feel considerably longer or shorter than what we actually experienced – have you ever had a dream that only lasted five minutes, but felt like hours had passed?

What Is A Dream Feed?
In parenting, dream feed is a term for feeding your baby when they’re still in a state of stupor, usually between the hours of 10 p.m., and midnight. The idea is to provide your baby with some sustenance to bring extra hours of uninterrupted sleep, and hopefully not wake up later because they are hungry.

While it is called a “dream feed,” the nature of a dream feed is that the baby stays drowsy, or more dream like when you are dream feeding.

Don’t Dream It’s Over: Cultural Dreams in Music

There is a strong relationship between music and dreams. Many artists have developed songs from their dreams. From Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” to Aerosmith’s “Dream On, ” it is easy to see how musicians use music to convey emotions in a similar way dreams do.

Usually, songs about dreams represent hope, longing, or escape, which aligns with actual dreams we experience.

Conclusion

Dreams, whether they’re a vivid adventure or a horrifying nightmare, or you’re simply replaying that awkward moment from yesterday. They are intensely personal and surprisingly interesting and create a space in between reality and make-believe, fear and freedom.

As science continues to peel back the layers of dreaming, much is still left unexplained. And perhaps that’s exactly the point, dreams are where logic takes a holiday, and the mind is allowed to roam.

Read about: Are Love Languages Real and Why They Matter?