Dreams are the communications from the unconscious mind. They are your memories in action and are also a logical revelation. Dreams are an uncommon state of consciousness that helps you dispose of the past, cover the reality of the present and prepare for the future. Dreams can make you happy or sad and can happen at any time during your sleep cycle. They may be a way of encountering emotional drama of your life. Dreams can help you prepare for future threats. Dreams help flourish cognitive skills.
According to Sigmund Freud, dreams are a window into our subconscious.
Most lucid dreams occur during deep or the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep which is also the time most heavy dreaming takes place. REM is the time that replicates the individual being awake. According to scientists, the REM sleep happens every 90 minutes and may last for 20-25 minutes. Dreaming can help you ignore all unnecessary information and transform and store what is important and can also help you develop long-term memory. It is possible for individuals to remember the last dream vaguely but it is very rare that people remember what they dream about. Dreams are stories our mind creates while we are asleep. It is said that sleep helps with regulating blood pressure, improves the metabolism and also improves other aspects of an individual’s health.
5 Stages of sleep
- 1ststage: It is 4-5% of your total sleep. An individual is in light sleep and there is a very slow eye movement.
- 2nd stage: It is 45-55% of your total sleep. Brain waves become slower and the eye movement stops.
- 3rd stage: It is about 4-6% of your total sleep Delta. Extremely slow waves begin to appear during this stage.
- 4thstage: It is very difficult to wake someone up when they are in stage 3 or 4 and these together are called “deep sleep”. It takes up about 12-15% of your total sleep.
- 5th stage: It is about 20-25% of your total sleep. This is the REM stage. Breathing becomes irregular, rapid and eyes jerk rapidly in various directions. If woken up during this stage, individuals may state some unusual and illogical facts. During this stage, the limbs and muscles may be temporarily paralyzed and the heart rate along with the blood pressure increases.
We dream because:
Dreams may be caused because :
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Lack of coordination and difficulty in concentration
- Weight gain
- Increased tension
Some common dreams
Dreaming about dying:
Most common dreams that we may have heard about are dreams of death or dying. It may be a death of a loved one or even dying themselves. These kinds of dream represent anxiety about change or fear of the unknown or an ending of something. This may be a relationship, a job or even a bad phase.
Dreaming about infidelity:
This is a ‘what-if’ kind of a dream. It typically means that an individual is insecure about his relationship and may think that his partner is cheating on him. These dreams may be very frightening and may even wake up the individual during their sleep. This dream also means that you have too little imagination; it represents the feeling of unproductiveness to attain a target.
Dreaming about taking a test:
This kind of dream symbolizes underlying fear of failure. It illustrates an individual’s restlessness about being a success or failure and also being evaluated or judged by others. It also means being analyzed in some aspects of life.
Dreaming about being chased:
This kind of dream means that you are trying to avoid something in your life. It is a desire to escape from your own fears and desires. Being chased by animals may mean that you are trying to hide or ignore your own anger.
Dreaming about being naked in public:
This kind of dream may indicate that you may be shamming and that you are afraid to reveal your imperfections and shortcoming. It may mirror your liability and humiliation. In simple terms, it means that the individual is ashamed about something which may leave you with a feeling of guilt or inferiority complex which may bring out a sense of disrespect and attention deprived.
Dreaming about being pregnant:
This kind of a dream indicates the inadequacy of being a mother. It may also indicate that the individual is trying to pursue a relationship in real life. It may also represent the birth of a new idea, goal or direction. According to research, the meaning of this dream is that the individual is growing in their personal life.
Dreaming about flying:
This kind of dream may have two sides, one: a feeling of freedom and independence and second: desire to flee or escape from the realities of life. Flying typically represents control.