Every one of us has dreams every now and then. These phenomenal occurrences during our sleep range from being odd, strange or even weird. Considering that we spend about a third of our lives sleeping, dreaming is something we humans tend to do a lot of. Here are ten pretty interesting facts about dreaming and see how many of them you can relate to.
1. They don’t last
Experts estimate that we forget about 90 per cent of our dreams. That number varies from one person to the next, but it’s safe to assume that most of us forget the vast majority of them. Certain dreams may stand out and are easily remembered, but most of them are gone forever.
2. Blind dreams matter
Even blind people dream. Surprisingly a person that is born blind will still dream, but their dreams will no doubt be different to those who can see.
3. Everyone dreams
Even if you are one of those people who cannot seem to remember a single one of your dreams, it’s a safe bet that you do indeed dream. Some people just forget their dreams entirely, but since all humans dream, it’s highly unlikely that a person that does not remember their dreams is not dreaming at all.
4. Regular faces
It turns out that every face we see in our dreams is one that we have seen in real life. It may be a close friend or it may be someone you do not recognize at all but may have simply seen passing you on the street or in the supermarket.
5. Dreaming in black-and-white
Not everyone dreams in colour. Believe it or not, some people dream of what looks more like an old black-and-white television program. Some people have trouble remembering whether their dreams are in colour or not.
6. Hidden meaning
Dreams are often full of symbolism. Certain objects, events, and experiences that are featured in dreams often relate to real life.
7. Multiple dreams
On average, a normal, healthy individual has between four and seven dreams per night. When we do remember our dreams, it seems like some of them last a very long time while others are very brief in duration.
8. Do animals dream?
At some point, many of us have witnessed the pet dog or cat that appears to be acting out dreams as they sleep. They may whine or whimper, or perhaps move their legs as if they are walking or running. We can only assume that they are dreaming about typical animal activities like chasing squirrels or being stuck in a tree.
9. Rapid Eye Movement (REM)
REM or rapid eye movement sleep is the time when we dream, and to prevent us from thrashing about too much or maybe even falling out of bed, we are temporarily paralyzed so that we are not able to physically act our dreams. Some people experience a kind of malfunction upon waking and find that they are still paralyzed and completely unable to move. This is known as Sleep Paralysis but fortunately, is very rare for most people.
10. Intrusions from reality
Sometimes things that are going on in the real world can influence our dreams. It’s not uncommon for someone to be dreaming about how badly they need to go to the bathroom and then awaken to discover that they really do have an urgent need to get up and go.
