Research Dreams: The Process of Dreaming, Its Types, and Effects

Often, people question what really happens to them, and their bodies in the midst of their sleep. More importantly, many are also very curious to know more about their dreams and what they are. To be specific, dreams are a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during a deep sleep. This can be quite scary and interesting when thought upon. Some of the more significant questions discussed in this dreams include: What happens to us when we dream? What different kinds of dreams are there, and are they meaningless, and lastly, what can dreaming do for us physically and emotionally?

More than likely, dreaming can be a very significant part of someone’s life, and without the questions of others, the world would never know the answers to those unique questions. So what are dreams, and what happens to people when they dream? As mentioned above, dreams are mainly just a process of someone’s thoughts in a deep sleep. They have a way of messing with your mind in such a way that they can scare you, entertain you, disturb you, or really make you question yourself. As reported by Hannah Nichols, “Dreams happen most often during REM.” REM stands for rapid eye movement. Throughout the night, someone can last between one and forty-five minutes in a REM cycle, or in other words, the deepest stage of their sleep. During the night, a single person can also cycle through REM as many times as their mind may let them. There’s also a chance that someone may not enter a stage of REM. This often only happens if someone is getting less sleep than usual for whatever reason that may be. Ninety-five percent of people have come to say that they are less likely to remember what they dreamed about the night before if they enter a stage of REM. Saying this, the reason for dreaming is based on the theory of “being able to help facilitate our creative tendencies.” To explain that, dreams are a significant part of why we often have creative ideas pop into our minds at random times throughout the day.

In addition to what happens to people during their sleep cycle, their also comes a time in which people question what different types of dreams occur in a person’s mind. According to Rebecca Turner, an author, and a science illustrator, there are five different dreams that someone has the opportunity to encounter. For instance, there are daydreams, normal dreams (REM), lucid dreams, false awakenings, and nightmares. All five of these dreams have quite a bit in common, however the one similarity that stands out the most is the fact that to be able to encounter any of these dreams, a single person has to be in a deep state of focus for 10-15 minutes at least. Lucid dreams and nightmares are the two dreams in which there are more differences than similarities between the two. For example, referring to Paul Theoeley, a German physiologist, “Lucid dreams are dreams in which one is aware that they are dreaming, and they have a certain amount of control over the characters in their dreams.” As believed by Carol Dersarkissian, “Nightmares are non-controllable dreams, meaning the person having the dream cannot change the environment they are surrounded by while sleeping.” Some may say their dreams are meaningless, and some may actually question their dreams and what the reason behind them really are, but to be reassuring, almost ninety-five percent of dreams have some sort of meaning to them. For example, in many dreams, the characters inside of a dream are real people that you have most likely met at some point in your everyday life. In some cases, the characters in some dreams may also be someone from a person's everyday life that is bringing some sort of sign that contains either good or bad luck in the future.

Generally the different kinds of dreams people tend to have are important but as said by Susan Blackmore, “Dreams are often not only messing with your mind, but also affecting you physically.” For example, in order to dream, it is obvious one would have to enter a stage or REM throughout the night. In order for a dream to physically come to mind, the entire brain has to be active as well. During REM, the sleep-wake cycle is activated through circuits ran through the stem of the brain into the thalamus to the cortex of the brain. This makes it possible for the brain to create an image of what may have been seen in real life earlier that day. This can affect people emotionally only if the dream is meant to give a sign to somebody. Seventy-five percent of the time, when signs are being given in a dream, people are often affected. When given a sign in a dream, some become overwhelmed with either excitement, sadness, or confusion to not knowing exactly what is going on in their dream.

In conclusion, dreams can play and incredible role in someone’s life. Although not everyone dreams, many wish they do. In my opinion, if a dream is encountered the night before, I feel as though you wake up more refreshed and ready to accomplish goals in life. Being caught in a dream can also inspire others because some dreams really do have a meaning behind them. All in all, dreams are a very fascinating factor in somebody’s life, and they can leave a huge impact on someone’s life if the details of the dream are really thought upon.

References

1. Nichols , Hannah. “Medical News Today.” Medical News, Hannah Nichols , 11 Apr. 2013, Medicalnewstoday.com.
2. Turner, Rebecca. “Sleep.” Sleep, Rebecca Turner, 8 Jan. 2015, Sleep.org.
3. Theoely, Paul. “Healthline.” Healthline, Paul Theoely , 10 Mar. 2000, Healthline.org.
4. Dersarkissian, Carol. “Physiology Today.” Psychology Today, Carol Dersarkissian, 4 Dec. 2018, Psychologytoday.com.