Whether you have woken up from a dream terrified, desperate to return to the dream world, or simply confused, we have all had dreams that stick with us for an extended time after we wake. Sometimes dreams are so vivid that you wake up and are unsure what actually happened or what you were just dreaming. For these reasons, dreamland is one of the most interesting fields of psychology, to research the meanings behind dreams and the function of your mind while you sleep.
There are five stages of sleep: the first stage is stage 1NREM, which comes right after you fall asleep and is your lightest phase of sleep, usually lasting less than five minutes. Phase two is 2NREM, which is a slightly deeper phase of sleep when your brain begins to slow. Experts predict this is when your mind begins to organize memories from the day, lasting about 45% of the time that you are asleep. The next phase is stage 3NREM, the deepest phase of your sleep, which means it is when you get the renewal of energy that comes with sleeping. That brings us to REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is the phase of sleep in which dreams occur as your brain is in a similar state to that whilst awake.
When the mind is in REM sleep and dreaming, studies show that the mind is attempting to do various things. One theory is that dreams help to consolidate memories and regulate your mood, which some people say is similar to your mind giving you therapy while you sleep. Dreaming also has been proven to be a cognitive simulation of real life, as your mind is recreating aspects of awake life, such as people and places.
While these studies and theories support the question of how the mind begins to dream, the question still remains: What do your dreams mean, and how are they applicable to your awake life?
According to Medical News Today, there is an explanation for most of the common sensations that people feel during the time that they are asleep. Pain, which many people experience in unsettling dreams, is tied to direct memories of pain. This was discovered through a study on burn victims during the time that they were healing, which revealed that 39% of the people reported dreams related to pain.
Emotions – rather than sensations – in dreams can also be tied to reality. Dreams regarding relationships can indicate a romantic interest in someone. Death in dreams is connected to depression, suicide, and overall violence, but nightmares involving death can also be tied to anxiety and PTSD. Generally, dreams can represent unconscious desires and wishes which are tied to signals that your brain sends throughout the day that you may not have realized during the time.
Less scientifically, some dreams are interpreted as simple explanations from everyday life. Very Well Minded, for example, says falling in a dream may be due to feeling that you are failing in some aspect of your life. If you are being chased in a dream, this may mean that you are trying to avoid something in your waking life. Dreams about losing your teeth may mean that you are uncomfortable with something about your appearance. Dreams of taking a test have happened to many of us, especially when we plan on taking a test the next day, but this is said to be due to a fear of failure. Flying in a dream can represent wanting to escape or freedom overall, but for some, dreams of flying can be terrifying, so there are alternative explanations for this.
If you were curious about what happens in your mind during dreams, or if you are wondering what interpretations could be taken from strange dreams that you are experiencing, this may have been helpful. Hopefully, as test week dawns upon us, not too many of us will be dropped into a test in dreamworld as well.
