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Most of us will spend a third of our life sleeping. During this time, you can expect to experience hundreds of thousands of dreams, and while there’s a lot of research out there suggesting why this might be the case, experts still know relatively less facts about dreams and why we have them than other fields of sleep research. While some people think that their dreams contain symbolic value, other experts have suggested that dreams are merely a result of overactive imagination,
Learning facts about dreams you might not have heard before can still be of value when you’re in the process of trying to sleep better. From investing in the most comfortable mattress you can for your comfort, to practicing how to lucid dreams, here are a couple of things you might not have known influence your dreams –
Fact #1 – Everyone Dreams
One of the least commonly known facts about dreams is that everyone has them. Even if you think of yourself as a dreamless sleeper, you’re likely to have had several dreams in a night. The fact is, most people dream throughout their weeks. In one interesting study, researchers found people who were blind since birth still had visual dreams, and tracked eye movements during the REM phase of their sleep.
It’s not just human beings. One of the most fun facts about dreams is that research shows many mammals also dream in their sleep – whether it be your pet dog or cat, to other kinds of animals such as birds, reptiles, and even fish. Unlike humans, however, animals do not experience dreams in quite the same way – they may have no memory of their imaginations when they wake the next day.
Fact #2 – You Forget Most Of Your Dreams
If you rarely experience dreams, or think you’re the type of person who simply experiences dreamless sleep, it’s time to think again. Experts indicate we actually have several dreams in the span of a single night, and one of the ways in which they’ve been able to determine this is by studying our brain-waves and sleep patterns within a single night.
There’s actually a fairly simple reason for this. The frontal lobes of our brain, which is the portion of our brain responsible for memory formation, are actually inactive during REM sleep, which is the stage of sleep you’re most likely to dream in. If you want to bring up impressive facts about dreams when you’re speaking to someone who doesn’t think they experience any at all, this is the one to bring up.
Fact #3 – There Are Several Types Of Dreams
The range of types of dreams human beings experience in their lifetimes are vast. From nightmares, daydreams, or night terrors, the types of dreams some people have reported experiencing are endless.
The facts about dreams of this kind is that even though they’re not widely studied, there are a ton of people who still report experiencing them. Here are some of the most unusual types of dreams you might not have heard before:
- False awakening: These types of dreams involve feeling like you’ve woken up, only to realise you’re still dreaming.
- Healing dreams: There’s not a lot of scientific evidence on this type of dream, but people who experience this often report to have revelatory or reconciliatory experiences.
- Prophetic dreams: These types of dreams are said to be able to predict a future experience, and are often interpreted as messages from a future time.
Fact #4 – You Can Control Your Dreams
Have you ever wanted to be in charge of what happens to you in a dream? With lucid dreaming, you can. Lucid dreaming involves being somewhere in between consciousness and REM sleep, and is a state of dreaming during which you’re able to directly control the events occurring to you while dreaming.
Many people try to practice and improve their lucid dreaming skills, though this can take a significant amount of effort. Scientific or studied facts about dreams of this still kind are still less widely known, but they’re an interesting experiment. If you want to give lucid dreaming a try, certain techniques are more impressive than others for sharpening your focus – try focusing on the stimuli in your sleep environment to call to attention what feels real, and what doesn’t.
Fact #5 – Your Bedroom Can Play A Role In Your Dreams
What does finding the most comfortable mattress have to do with finding the right type of mattress for your sleep? Your bedroom can actually shape and determine the quality of your sleep, and therefore, your dreams as well. When you’re trying to ensure that you have the most comfortable mattress for your sleep, remember that the better rested you feel, the less likely you are to have trouble waking up from any nightmares.
How do you tell your bed is the most comfortable mattress for you? One of the tell-tale signs is the amount of time it takes for you to fall asleep. You’re likely to notice the most comfortable mattresses minimize the amount of time you spend tossing and turning in bed, and ensure that you’re able to get a good night’s sleep without having to compromise on anything else.
The good news is that there are plenty of solid options available today that are great choices for anyone looking for the most comfortable mattress they can find for their sleep, even if they’re on a budget. Keep in mind that comfort is subjective, so the most comfortable mattress to you might not be the same as your neighbours- this is why it is especially important to trial yours out to see if it actually does work for you.
When you’re looking for facts about dreams that are going to help you get a grasp on what makes your brain work, as well as how you can maximise on a good night’s sleep, these can be useful. While sleep experts have undertaken a lot of effort to go through what facts about dreams can be discerned from observing people in REM sleep, there’s a lot remaining to be discovered about our subconscious minds, as well as the way we explore them during our rest.
