Dreaming is one of those things that still lingers in unknown territory. We wake up in the morning and brush off our night’s dreams because we don’t understand the why and how behind them. There is still a lot to be learned about them, but here are four facts that may help you make some sense of your reveries.
1. You Dream More Than Once Per Night
You brain doesn’t limit itself to one dream per slumber. Believe it or not, you can dream dozens of times every night that your head hits the pillow – you just may not remember them all. In fact, you dream every 90 minutes. Your first dream of the night lasts roughly five minutes and your last dream can last up to an hour before you awake. Let’s hope that last dream is a pleasant one.
2. Your Dreams Help You Cope
Stress frequently wedges its way into your life without permission. You don’t want it to be there, but it’s often out of your control. When you encounter these troublesome situations, your dreams reflect your emotions. It’s your body’s way of finding relevance with your waking life and coping with your anxieties. If you tend to have bizarre dreams, it may be a sign that your life is too hectic and you need to slow down.
3. Dreams Aren’t Random
After a long, busy day, it’s such a relief to crawl in bed and finally have time to unwind. It’s in these moments when you reflect on the day’s happenings and your mind starts to go into overdrive. When you finally relax enough to fall asleep, your dreams make an attempt to tell you something. “The meaning of our dreams often times relates to things we are needing to understand about ourselves and the world around us,” said psychotherapist Jeffrey Sumber. So next time you wake up wondering, take a minute to think about those hidden messages.
4. There’s No Secret Keeping With Dreams
There are some things that we desire but can’t tell other people or that we refuse to admit ourselves. Well, secret’s out because our dreams mimic these yearnings. We can’t have a dream without being in it, because all of our dreams revolve around our own thoughts. Sigmund Freud proposed that dreams are the results of repressed emotion or unconscious wishes. So don’t underestimate the power of your dreams, they may be revealing cravings you didn’t even know you had.
