Last night I had the strangest dream – where have I heard that (sung) before? As with most (of my) dreams, there was no logic to the sequence of events. A series of problems was presented and no answers were forthcoming. I met people I hadn’t seen for years, who were in fancy dress as teddy bears. I went into a lift with half a dozen others but which further people couldn’t access, so it was secure in a worrying sort of way. With no money or credit cards I had no means of paying for travel home and as I had forgotten my mobile ‘phone I was unable to contact anyone. I woke up feeling slightly mystified but neither relieved nor upset. It’s unusual for me to remember my dreams in much detail, but this one will remain with me for some time. Gerard Culpeper was another vivid dream, here.
Apparently, humans dream for about two hours every night and the dreams may be as short as five minutes or as long as twenty. They occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) phase of sleep when the brain is more active. Some people claim that they never dream but perhaps they simply don’t remember.
Events that have been experienced during waking hours are processed through dreaming. Research has shown that creativity and problem-solving skills are enhanced while dreaming, and memory and learning are strengthened.
Some dream themes are very common and experienced by a multitude of people. They include being chased, being naked in public, being able to fly and pregnancy. I wonder if any men have dreams about pregnancy?
One familiar dream is about falling. Whenever I have that dream I wake up with a start just before the fall finishes. Awakening is accompanied by a pounding heart and a sense of relief.
A recurring dream is of being late for work. There was always a stressful element to travelling to work – perhaps there is for everyone. The more one has to rely on other people, the more anxiety is created. Will the train be on time/running? Will the bus break down? Will the traffic jam ever ease?
Some dreams are pleasant and provide a cushion against hardship and deprivation. One lady who had been in a hellish concentration camp during the war dreamt constantly of beautiful, tasty meals. Once she was free, she never had that dream again.
Sometimes, people are aware that they are dreaming and may even be able to exert some control over what is happening. This is known as lucid dreaming and has been studied since ancient times. Aristotle said, “often when one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which declares that what then presents itself is but a dream.” Such an experience occurs quite frequently and is not usually frightening, unless it is during a nightmare. Research suggests that half of all people studied have had lucid dreams at least once in their lifetimes but only a small percentage have them regularly.
Dogs and cats dream. A dreaming cat twitches whiskers, paws, tail, and other muscles and may emit little noises, perhaps experiencing again the thrill of the chase. A dreaming dog twitches all over, ‘runs’ and howls or barks. It can be very noisy at night if dogs, cats and humans are all engaged in reliving the day’s events as they sleep.
I claim to have never had a disturbing or frightening dream (i certainly haven't woken up sweating over a dream) nor do i have any repeating dream themes, but I do know i can redirect the course of a dream, so maybe something in me sees the bad bit coming and chooses a different road on ths dream map. Strange what goes on in our apparently sleeping brains.
ReplyDeleteYou have managed to direct your lucid dreams without 'doing the course' - you're a natural.
DeleteOne recurrent dream that I see is going in a train though a strange place. They say dreams have some relation to our thoughts, fantasies and unfulfilled desires.
ReplyDeletePerhaps some of our desires are best left unfulfilled!
DeleteAll I know is that I dream constantly and that a fairly significant percentage of my dreams can be called nightmares, I recall having them as a very small child and would not sleep in the dark. Now I love the dark and, on the whole, have come to terms with my dreams. But just occasionally..........
ReplyDeleteNightmares are horrible and seem to have no discernible trigger. Wishing you sweeter dreams, Graham.
DeleteI hardly ever remember a dream, hubby is often telling me of his weird night viewing.
ReplyDeleteThe dreams I remember stay with me for ever.
DeleteYes! I dream every night, very vivid ones to....
ReplyDeleteIt's part and partial of my make~up...I suffer
stress/anxiety, l run around on the ceiling at
times...HeHe! Not life threating...but..it happens! :(.
I live with it....!
And..my paws and whiskers twitch when l dream
to...
Last night l dreamt l was eating a giant marshmallow..
When l woke up..the pillow had gone...!!! :O).
🌱💛🌱💛🌱💛🌱💛🌱 🌱💛🌱💛🌱💛🌱💛
Sometimes it's difficult to separate dream and reality . . .
DeletePeople tend to have weaker short-term memories as they age. So I can remember every novel I read in the late 1950s and every speech I gave on public occasions throughout the 1960s. But I cannot remember who I met last week at the coffee shop :(
ReplyDeleteWhat is the connection to dreams? I cannot remember any details whatsoever about a dream, once I wake up. Very strange!
Research into dreams is ongoing. I don't think I'd want to sleep in a laboratory setting, though.
ReplyDeleteThe dream that I used to have most often was the dream that all of my teeth were falling out. That was when I was expecting my daughter! 😫
ReplyDeleteApparently, that is a very common dream, though I didn't know that until I wrote this post. There's an old belief that you lose a tooth for every pregnancy, though I suspect that's more to do with poor diet and nutrients being diverted to the developing baby.
DeleteI've often wondered about cats dreaming as Bess indeed sometimes twitches her whiskers or paws when she's sleeping ...
ReplyDeleteI remember a dream I've had about flying over 30 years ago but otherwise I usually don't remember my dreams. Alhough there is a recurring one I'm having which involves having forgotten to bring my camera when I'm on holiday ... xxx
Please don't forget your camera on your approaching next holiday;-) x x x
DeleteI seem to remember dreams only when I've had enough sleep for the night, and then only at the end of my sleep time. And, yes, I always seem to be processing things that are going on in my life. Years ago I had recurring bad dreams about driving to our cottage and the car going off the road into the water. I am afraid of water and of drowning, and in my dreams I always had to choose who I would save. It was horrible. I told my husband after I'd had the dream several times, and he said there was no place on the road to our cottage where the water was deep enough to cover the whole car. The dreams stopped. (But I also enrolled in swim lessons for highly anxious swimmers!)
ReplyDeleteP. S. I'm glad your strange dream didn't leave you feeling anxious!
ReplyDeleteChoosing who to save in a dream is awful. I'm glad your husband was able to allay your fears.
ReplyDelete