Whiledreamsremain a somewhat mysterious function of the human brain, they’re undoubtedly fascinating.
Here’s what to know.
Why do we dream?
As professional dream interpreterLauri Loewenbergexplains, dreaming is still a “thinking” or neurobiological process.
What our brains do while we dream.
Throughout the night, the brain goes throughfour sleep stages, each with its own function.
In rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, we have our most vivid dreams.
“So it’s a source of new ideas and creativity,” he adds.
Dreams are often also highly emotionally charged, and for good reason.
As Ellis notes, we tend to recall things better when we have strong emotions associated with them.
Why is it so hard to remember our dreams?
Both Ellis and Loewenberg use the same word to describe dreams:slippery.
How often do we immediately start our day upon waking without giving our dreams a second thought?
According to Ribeiro, this is probably the biggest detriment to remembering dreams.
“In our society, there is no real space for dreams; people don’t talk about them.
It’s so easy to recover the ability to remember the dreamspeople just have to stop combating them.”
This brings us to our next point.
How to keep a dream journal.
One of the best ways to do so is to keep a dream journal right next to your bed.
Curious to give the practice a try?
Check out our full guide onkeeping a dream journal.
Other ways to remember your dreams:
Don’t get up right away upon waking.
Get the dream out of your head in some way.
Whether you keep a dream journal or not, you’ll want to have a record of your dream.
It should be part of our conversation," he says.
Get better sleep.
And of course, you’re able to’t get rich REM sleep if youroverall sleep qualityis poor.
- (If you’re taking recommendations,here’s a list of our favorites.)
Dream interpretation.
Whether dreams have universal interpretations is still up for debate within the scientific community.
We rounded up 12 of the most common, plus what they can mean.
Stress dreams & nightmares.
Ellis previously explained to mbg that stress dreams areyou guessed itcaused by stress.
Nightmares, on the other hand, are often rooted in deeper fears and eventraumas from our past.
Also, Loewenberg notes, “Nightmares are terrifying to the point that they wake you up.
They’re so intense and powerful, you jolt awake with your heart pounding,” she says.
Most people, however, can sleep through stress dreams.
What to do about them.
And as Loewenberg adds, don’t let these dreams frighten you, but instead, welcome them.
She believes that these dreams can actually help you with your most difficult issuesif you let them.
What it means to dream about someone.
Of course, interpreting the meaning behind these dreams depends on who is present and what happens.
Lucid dreams.
Check out ourfull guide on how to lucid dream.
The bottom line.
Dreaming sure is a wild time, right?
In fact, “They can become your great ally.”
