Curiosities About Dreams That You May Not Know
Have you ever wondered why some of us dream and others don’t? Or how long does a dream really last? In this article we present some curiosities about dreams to know.
15 curiosities about dreams
The dream world has never ceased to fascinate and intrigue us. Here are 15 curiosities about dreams that will leave you speechless.
1. We all dream
Whether we can remember the dream or not, we all dream every night. While some people are able to remember one, two or more dreams, others cannot.
Note : People with REM sleep behavior disorder do not dream, but the incidence of this disorder is very rare.
2. There is a phenomenon called sleep paralysis
This is not a nightmare, but a condition that affects thousands of people around the world. Sleep paralysis prevents you from making any voluntary movement for a certain amount of time, usually in the phase between sleep and wakefulness.
3. Curiosity about dreams: we spend about 6 years of our life dreaming
This is not counting, of course, daydreams! Every night we dream several times, in cycles ranging from 5 to 20 minutes. If we consider the current life expectancy, we can conclude that we spend almost 6 years of our life dreaming.
4. We forget dreams a few minutes after waking up
Dreams, in general, are quickly forgotten. Have you ever tried to tell someone a dream and feel it vanish from your mind? This is because the way we process information and store it in our memory differs from the way our mind dreams.
5. Do premonitory dreams exist?
There is no scientific explanation for premonitory dreams, but famous cases are known:
- Abraham Lincoln dreamed of his own assassination.
- Some people dreamed of the Titanic tragedy.
- Some of the victims of the attack on the Twin Towers are said to have dreamed of a catastrophe.
6. Some famous inventions have been dreamed of
That’s right: some inventors have changed the course of history thanks to their intense ability to dream. This is the case of Larry Page (father of Google), James Watson (discoverer of the double spiral of DNA) and Elias Howe (inventor of the sewing machine).
7. The dreams of women and men are often different
Some research has found that while women mostly dream of family and friends in everyday situations, men tend to have more aggressive dreams, where contrast with other men prevails.
8. Curiosity about dreams: our brain does not rest at night
We tend to associate sleep with a moment of rest and peace because we imagine our brain “turning off”. However, this is not the case: when we sleep, the brain remains active and, for this very reason, it generates dreams.
9. Some people dream in black and white
Most of us dream in color, except for some people who dream in black and white. However, it can happen to everyone, in a sporadic way, to dream without colors. Has this ever happened to you?
10. Most of us are unable to read in dreams
Have you ever dreamed of reading? Or to take an exam? Reading a sheet in a dream is not at all easy and, in fact, many people cannot do it. This explains all those dreams in which we do disastrous exams. The same is true with the ability to tell the time.
11. Curiosities about dreams: do animals dream?
It is not proven (and it is very complicated to do so), however animals are also thought to dream. Have you ever seen the dog move its paws and whine while it sleeps? Apparently this is the explanation: he is dreaming!
12. Sometimes it is possible to drive the dreams
Lucid dreams are situations in which we are aware of being immersed in the dream world and, in some way, we manage to manipulate the content of the dream to our liking.
13. Curiosity about dreams: we dream more negative than positive things
The reason is unknown. However, some research has come to the conclusion that unpleasant dreams are more frequent than pleasant ones. Emotions such as anxiety, fear or sadness emerge more often than happiness or love.
14. Blind people also dream
Not seeing does not prevent you from dreaming. Many blind people dream of images, while some do so through their other senses, such as touch, smell or hearing.
15. We dream of faces that we have seen at least once
Now you know: if you dream of being chased or attacked by someone and you can make out their face, it is a person you already know or maybe you have seen on the bus.
Did these curiosities about dreams surprise you? Perhaps tonight, before falling asleep, you will remember some of this information. Sweet dreams!
