Study of dreams- causes, stages, and types

Some people have no trouble recalling several dreams per night, whereas others remember dreams only rarely or not. Everything that happens during sleep is forgotten by morning, including dreams, thoughts, and memories of brief awakenings. Something about the concept of sleep makes it difficult to remember what happened. Here’s a breakdown of the study of dreams.

History of study of dreams

The earliest known dreams were documented on clay tablets around 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia. People believed that dreams were messages sent directly from one or more deities or deceased people and that they could predict the future during the Roman and Greek periods. Some cultures practiced dream incubation to cultivate dreams of prophecy.

What do dreams mean?

Sigmund Freud wrote extensively about dream theory and interpretation in the early 1900s. According to Freud, dreams manifest our deepest anxieties and desires and are frequently related to repressed childhood obsessions or memories. 

Furthermore, he believed that almost every dream topic, regardless of content, represented the release of sexual tension. In his 1899 book, Interpretation of Dreams, Freud developed a psychological technique for interpreting dreams and a set of guidelines to help us comprehend the motives and symbols in our dreams.

Causes of dreams

There are numerous theories as to why we dream. Are dreams just a part of the sleep cycle, or do they serve a specific purpose?

Possible justifications include

• representing unspoken needs and wants and desires
• interpreting random brain and body signals while sleeping
• consolidating and processing data gathered throughout the day
• acting as a type of psychotherapy

Oneirology

Some dreams allow us to communicate with loved ones who have passed away. Dreams frequently provide answers to questions we may have about the course of our lives.

But have you ever considered how people dream? What causes us to see images, hear sounds, and even experience sensations while sleeping? The answer is oneirology.

The scientific study of dreams is known as oneirology. Dream interpretation and oneirology are not the same things. While studying dreams and interpreting them may appear the same, they are not. To study dreams scientifically, you must first examine the brain and what it does while you sleep.

Stages of sleep

To understand how your brain creates dreams while you sleep, you must first understand each stage of sleep and what it means. There are four types of sleep stages.

Awake

Being awake entails more than simply being awake and concise. Being awake while sleeping indicates that you have made significant physical movements, most likely increased your heart rate. You may recall events that occurred while you were awake, or you may have awoken briefly before falling back asleep.

Light sleep

It is the most noticeable sleep stage. Light sleep helps your body prepare for deep sleep. When you awaken, you usually return to light sleep before moving on to deep sleep or REM sleep. Due to this reason, light sleep is the most noticeable stage of sleep each night because it is where you spend the most time.

Deep sleep

Deep sleep is highly beneficial to your body. During this stage, your body repairs, regenerates and strengthens. Deep sleep will aid in your recovery if you are ill. If you have an injury, deep sleep will assist your body in healing. If you are awoken suddenly during deep sleep, you will feel delirious.

REM sleep

The acronym REM stands for rapid eye movement. Rapid eye movement indicates that your eyes move quickly beneath your closed eyelids. After falling asleep, REM sleep occurs relatively quickly, usually within the first hour to two hours. Your brain is most active during REM sleep.

Your heart rate has risen, your breathing has become more rapid, and your eyes are gradually shifting. It increases brain activity dramatically, and the more you have, the more likely you will stay in REM sleep and have frequent dreams.

Types of dreams

To understand how we dream, we must first examine the various types of dreams we have. Normal dreams, lucid dreams, false awakenings, recurring dreams, and nightmares are all examples of dreams.

Normal dreams

These are dreams with no real meaning or distinguishing features. They may include bizarre activities that you would never do in real life, or they may resemble a typical day in your life. Either way, they feel like a dream and have no real meaning while you’re dreaming or after you wake up.

Lucid dreams

Because you control the dream, these are probably the most pleasant dreams. Have you ever been in a dream and realized it was a dream and then been able to control your actions for the rest of the dream? One can refer to this as lucid dreaming. Various theories about lucid dreaming exist, but they all agree that it happens during REM sleep.

False awakening

False awakenings happen when you are in the midst of a dream and believe you have awoken while still sleeping. Because your dream has convinced you that you are awake, you will proceed through the dream performing daily routines as if you were awake.

You realize you’ve been sleeping and dreaming the entire time once you wake up. False awakenings are annoying and can occur when you are in the middle of a bad or recurring dream and want to wake up but cannot.

Recurring dreams

These dreams occur regularly, perhaps not night after night, but once a month or even once a week. The situations may be different in the same setting, or the circumstances could be similar each time, with a different location during each dream.

Nightmares

Unfortunately, these are disturbing, intense, and downright frightening dreams. Nightmares are typically unrealistic and nearly impossible to break free from during sleep. Nightmares may include being unable to escape a predator, fighting an assailant, or witnessing the injury or death of a loved one. When you wake up from a nightmare, it may take a few minutes to blow off some steam from the intensity.

Key takeaways

• Dreams are something that we do not have control over. It is a natural process that leads to many interpretations in daily life.
• You are subject to a dream due to many reasons. Some may include a bad day at work, stress, or even happy emotions.
• The different types of dreams guide us through the state of mind we might have during the dreams.

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FAQs

Q1. How long does a dream last?

Answer- A dream’s duration can range from a few seconds to approximately 20-30 minutes.

Q2. Does everyone dream in color?

Answer- While most people claim to dream in color, approximately 12% claim to only dream in black and white.

Q3. Do dreams have sounds?

Answer- Overall, the study shows that auditory content is standard in dreams, most commonly in the form of other characters speaking, followed by the dreamer speaking, and then different sounds.