Why we dream and what it means, according to sleep experts

We all know that we get enough Quality comfort Essential for our health. Given the extensive research on sleep and its importance to our brains and bodies, it’s easy to understand why we need to close our eyes and enter dreamland every night. What is not easy to explain is Why We are dreaming. How do we interpret those dreams, especially if they are strange or… horrifying?

dreams It is more common than you might think. On average, you have between one and six dreams per night, the strongest of which are during REM sleep. No one remembers all of their dreams, but if you wake up from a particularly disturbing or abnormal dream, you may wonder why you had it in the first place.

We’ve interviewed three sleep experts to help you start analyzing what your dreams mean. Here’s what we know about dreams, what they mean and why you have them.

What are dreams?

Simply put, “dreams are thoughts, images, sensations, and sometimes sounds that occur during sleep.” Alan Kuraslicensed clinical social worker in Westmead Medical Group“, says CNET.

There is no conclusive evidence about the components of dreams, but it is generally accepted that dreams represent a collection of ideas, conflicts, emotions, events, people, places and symbols that are related to the dreamer in some way.

Usually the most vivid dreams It occurs during rapid eye movement sleepalthough you can dream during other stages of sleep.

Why am I dreaming?

Kuras says there are many theories about the function of dreams. “They seem to help with memory formation, integration, problem solving, and consolidation of ideas about ourselves and the world,” he says, adding that neuroscientists have discovered that dreams help process information and regulate mood as well.

While scientists know a lot about it What happens physiologically when people dreamThere is still a lot to learn about what happens psychologically. For example, researchers know that people with PTSD are as well You will probably have nightmares. But people who do not suffer from PTSD also have nightmares, so it cannot be said that nightmares always accompany psychological conditions.

One generally accepted concept is that Dreaming is a very emotional process Because the amygdala (the emotional center in your brain) is one of the most active areas during dreams, According to neuroimaging studies.

Why can’t I remember my dreams?

Part of this is biological, says Kuras, as neurotransmitters that form memories are less active during sleep. Forgetting dreams also seems to be related to the level of electrical activity in the brain during dreams.

In addition, it could have something to do with the content of your dreams. Early psychoanalytic theory suggested that difficult or painful information in dreams is repressed, and the dreamer is unlikely to be able to retrieve or analyze it.

Dr. Meir Krieger is a sleep medicine physician in Yale MedicineCNET says that most people remember their dreams when they wake up in the middle of the dream or in the first few moments after the dream ends. But the problem is that memory only lasts for a short time. Unless you write it down or replay it in your head over and over again, there is a good chance you will forget the dream. Forgetting our dreams is more common than remembering them, Krieger says.

When you wake up is also important. Research has shown People who wake up during REM sleep report more vivid and detailed dreams, while people who wake up during non-REM sleep report fewer dreams, no dreams, or dreams of little interest.

What does my dream mean?

Different cultures throughout history have given meaning and importance to dreams, although there is little scientific evidence that dreams have special meanings attached to them, Kuras says. “No one has yet precisely determined what dreams or the images in dreams mean. That dreams are important indicators of one’s subconscious is a basic assumption in different cultures, but in different ways.”

Dreams are “mostly speculations about specific meanings,” Krieger says. He continues that there are two main trains of thought in the scientific community: the first is that each part of a dream has a specific meaning, and the other is that dreams are completely spontaneous and mean nothing.

It could be your first train of thought Attributed to Sigmund Freudwho is known as the first person to assign specific meanings to dreams — like dreaming about a king and queen actually means you’re dreaming about your mother and father, says Krieger.

Although psychoanalysis of dreams may have only begun in the past century or two, people have studied dreams for much longer: Aristotle wrote about dreams as early as 325 B.C., according to Krieger.

The problem with coming up with a comprehensive guide “is that dreams and their meanings are very personal because they depend on a person’s individual life experiences,” says Lori Quinn Loewenberg, a professional dream analyst.

In addition, neuroscience tends to focus on the function of dreaming (such as memory retention) rather than “the comparative analysis between images in dreams and the content of the previous day, which is how I approach dream analysis,” says Loewenberg.

However, some dreams have meanings attached to them, if for no other reason than that they are important to many people. Below, Krieger, Kuras, and Loewenberg discuss the possible meanings of dreams and the symbols common in dreams.

What does it mean when you dream of water, wind or fire?

Although there’s no concrete evidence that the items have specific meanings (most of it is just speculation, Krieger says), some associations seem common.

Loewenberg believes that water symbolizes emotions, and different types of water can mimic different feelings. For example, muddy water can represent sadness, tidal waves can represent exhaustion, and clear water can represent emotional clarity.

Fire often means anger or distress, while wind can represent impending changes or changes you’re currently experiencing, Loewenberg says.

“As acceptable as these meanings are, all that really matters is what suits the dreamer,” Loewenberg says. While many symbols have a general meaning that can fit most common people and situations, you have to take into account your personal associations with the symbols, she explains.

What does it mean when you dream of death?

Krieger says it’s very common to dream about death, especially about the death of someone emotionally close to you. It’s also common for these types of dreams to be interpreted as communication from the dead, which isn’t really surprising: “Death has such an impact on the living that it’s often incorporated into the content of dreams,” he says.

Loewenberg says that dreaming of death can indicate the end of something in real life, which does not necessarily mean the end of life.

“Dreaming about your death is not a harbinger, but rather a reflection of how you realize that life as you know it now is coming to an end,” she says, adding that it is not unusual to dream of death during this period. Things like moving, the process of quitting smoking, or making a career change.

According to Kuras, “It all depends on what these images mean to the dreamer in the context of his or her life and challenges. Dream work is largely an exploration of feelings and meaning for the dreamer and is somehow related to the ‘work’ of management.” Life and its challenges.”

What does it mean when dreams are set at night versus day?

As with the elements, there is no scientific evidence that darkness and light have specific meanings, but many dreamers associate each with certain feelings, Loewenberg says. For example, dreams that occur in the dark can represent uncertainty in real life – as if you are “in the dark” about something happening and need more information to make a decision. Darkness has also been associated with sadness or loneliness.

On the other hand, dreams that occur during the day may mean nothing to most people. But if you usually dream in dark places and suddenly you have dreams in the daytime, this may indicate that a problem has been resolved or that you have emerged from a period of sadness.

Again, dream interpretation is almost all speculation, and what is important is how you relate your dreams to your own life.

Why are some dreams common?

Have you ever dreamed that you fall and wake up awake? If you’ve discussed said dream with other people, someone else will probably say, “I had that dream too!” Dreaming about falling seems to be very common, and it’s called an archetype, Loewenberg says.

An archetype, by definition, is “a very typical example of a particular person or thing” (Oxford); When applied to dreams, the archetype is something that signifies “Psychological patterns“.

Other common dreams, which may or may not be archetypes depending on what’s going on in your life at the time you’re having the dream, include:

• Showing up late for something important
• Being chased by someone or something
• Aviation
• Dreams about sexual relations that should not happen in real life (such as you or your partner having relations with someone else)
• Confronting someone who has died
• Lost
• Paralysis or inability to speak
• Being disgraced or embarrassed in front of a crowd of people

Loewenberg says these dreams are so common because they are associated with common behaviors, actions, thoughts, and fears. For example, many (if not most) people worry about arriving late for something important, such as a work presentation or a plane trip. Likewise, many people may feel anxious about having an affair with their partner, which can appear in dreams.

Having dreams in which you appear naked or embarrassed in front of a crowd of people is often related to social anxiety, or worry about how others will perceive you, Loewenberg says.

How do you interpret your dreams?

Since, as mentioned before, there is no solid evidence about dream meanings, you should interpret your dreams in ways that make sense to you.

“Determining what dreams convey is specific to the person and the current situation, so what the person experiences, what challenges they face, and what psychological developments occur will determine the meaning in each case,” Kuras says.

Loewenberg asserts that dreaming is a thinking process. “Our dreams, those strange little stories we experience every night while we sleep, are actually our subconscious thoughts,” she says. “It is a continuation of our stream of consciousness from today.”

But during sleep, instead of talking to yourself in words, you talk to yourself in symbols, metaphors, and emotions, Loewenberg says. The change in language occurs because your brain works differently during REM sleep: Notably, the prefrontal cortex, or the decision-making center of your brain, is less active or inactive, while the amygdala, the emotional center of your brain, is very active.

This is why dreams can be very frightening or depressing, and include events that should not or could not happen in real life.

“In short, dreams are a conversation with oneself about oneself, but at a much deeper subconscious level,” Loewenberg says.

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