Dreaming is an occurrence that happens to almost every person, every time we go to sleep. When we fall asleep, we can travel to mysterious places that can reveal our biggest fantasies and fears. This occurrence has been talked about and looked into since the beginning of time, and after so long, we are still amazed by it. In this article, we are going to give you some interesting facts about dreams, and we will tell you some things you should know about the meaning of them.
1. People dream more than you think
One of the most interesting facts about this occurrence is that we usually dream 3 to 5 times every night. As you have probably noticed, we forget most of the dreams we have, and we can sometimes only vaguely remember bits and pieces of the last dream we’ve had. This is something completely normal, and it is said that most people will forget what they dreamt about seconds after waking up.
2. When do dreams happen?
One of the most common misconceptions is that we can dream pretty much every time we fall asleep. Even though some occurrences may happen right after we fall asleep, or just before we wake up, you are most likely to dream when you are in the REM phase.
In this phase, most of the fantasies happen, and they can be either pleasant or nightmares. It all depends on your mental state, and on the things that happened in your day-to-day life.
3. You are more likely to remember if you are well-rested
We’ve all had those dreams that we loved, and we want to remember so much. If you are trying to get to remember everything you’ve dreamt about, then you should know there’s a way.
If you take afternoon naps, chances are, you will forget everything you’ve dreamt right after you wake up. You are most likely to remember things in the morning after you’ve had a good rest.
4. Why do we have reoccurring dreams?
Have you ever felt like you are dreaming the same thing over and over? Even though you’ve forgotten about it after you woke up, a few days, or even weeks later, you can dream something and it will feel like you already had that nightmare.
Well, that is pretty common, and it is said that that is the way we process bad things and traumas. The statistics have shown that you are more likely to have reoccurring dreams including falling, running away from someone, physical confrontations, or being attacked by someone.
5. You dream in black and white
This is something that most people don’t realize, but most of us don’t dream in color. If you try to remember your dreams, you will realize that chances are, you don’t see color in your sleep.
Less than 15 percent of all the people are able to dream in color, and if you are one of those, you should consider yourself lucky. However, the color or the lack of it, don’t really have an effect on how we perceive them, and when we remember the things that happened during our sleep, we remember them in color.
6. Lucid dreams
Lucid dreaming is something that pretty much everyone is amazed by, and during this occurrence, you become aware of the fact that you are sleeping and you can control what happens in your sleep.
This is a really interesting practice, and some people can do it without having to train or teach their minds how to control the dreams.
For those of us who cannot control what happens, websites like luciddreamsociety.com can help you learn how to get into lucid dreaming and what you need to do to train your brain into being aware.
7. Sleep paralysis
Now let’s talk about one of the scariest occurrences that can happen while we sleep. It is said that almost half of the population suffers from this and not everyone is aware of what is going on. It is the state between being awake and sleeping, and it can occur right before you wake up, when your brain is awake and your body is still asleep.
People have reported seeing hallucinations, listening to voices, or even feeling someone touching them or lying on top of them. Even though this is a terrifying experience, it is still part of dreaming, and you won’t be hurt by it.
8. Dreams can reveal fears
When it comes to the meanings of dreams, you can learn a lot about yourself, your fears, and what you are going through when you dream. People say sometimes that they can even be predictions of the future, but in most cases, what you see when you sleep usually reveals your current mental state.
If you dream that you are running away from someone, it usually means that you are haunted by a past relationship or friendship, and if you dream about falling, it can be interpreted as fear of losing something you enjoy, like your job.
9. People in your dreams
The last mind-blowing fact that you probably didn’t know is that you never dream about people you haven’t seen in real life. Your brain cannot imagine a new person while you are asleep, so no matter who you dream of, even if you don’t know them, you’ve seen them before.
You can see faces in your sleep of people you saw on public transport, on the TV, or someone in your past that you don’t remember. However, the faces you see, you’ve already seen before, and your brain cannot come up with a new face on its own.
Did you know these facts? One thing is for sure, dreaming is amazing, and our brains can do so many magnificent things. If you are interested in learning more about the meaning of the things that happened in your sleep, you can always look up the exact meanings depending on what you dreamt of, and see how that relates to your day-to-day life. Have fun and don’t take them too seriously.