12 Facts About Dreams & Dreaming

Note :  This post was written about 2 weeks ago !

I’ve been working a lot the past few days as I’ve mentioned in my last posts; and I’ve also not been sleeping very well; between organizing my clients’ wedding functions (which start tonight btw) and my own party – it’s been quite hectic !

I kid you not when I say that my clients are literally taking over my life .. including my dreams ! I woke up with a start this morning because I must have spent the majority of the morning dreaming about them being present in my house and giving me instructions on what meetings they wanted changed !

It’s 00:48 and I’ve finished my last meeting for the day – and came across a tweet by Guy Kawasaki titled 15 Interesting Facts about Dreams & Dreaming.  I went over and checked it out and thought to add my own two cents to some of the points … 

1. We forget 90% of our dreams.  I suppose that’s true.  Considering we have   over 150,000 dreams in a lifetime; that’s 15,000 dreams that we DO remember.  How many dreams do you remember having this week or last month ? I can think of 3 vivid dreams from the whole week; but nothing more than that.  Now given that we can have 4-7 dreams in one night which each dream lasting around 1-2 hours; it’s no wonder we forget our dreams.
2. Everybody Dreams.  If you think that you don’t dream – then you are under the influence of alcohol, sleeping pills, or any other drugs  (including caffeine) – as these factors inhibit our ability to dream.  (who isn’t under the influence these days?)  But really -  you’re just like the rest of us.  Unless one has an extreme case of psychological disorder.
3. Blind People also Dream.  If someone goes blind after birth they can see images in their dreams.  People who are born blind have dreams involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion but can’t see images.  I never actually thought about this. 
4. Animals dream too.  I used to love watching my dogs sleep.  I would know  they were dreaming when they’d flicker their paws as if they were running; sometimes even making sounds which made me want to give them big comforting hugs.  I’ve always been curious to know ‘what exactly’ my dogs used to dream off.  I remember stroking them to calm them down if they looked like they were having a bad dream. 
5. In Our Dreams We Only See Faces, That We already Know.  Have you ever  woken up and wondered ‘who was that in my dream ?’  That person is real – maybe you passed on the street; or on the train home; that crazy driver trying to maneuver their car in a traffic jam.  So real that we have crossed paths at some point – and yet we don’t necessarily know them or even remember them.  So if you live in a big city – that’s quite a few hundred thousand faces – that will keep coming up in as various characters in our dreams.
6. Not Everybody Dreams in Color. A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number dream in full color. According to recent researches, the percentage of people dreaming in black & white has decreased significantly .. Why ? Colour TV !
7. Dreams are Symbolic.  Have you ever looked up a ‘dream dictionary’ ?   My mum has always had one in her bedside drawer and whenever we had unusual dreams as kids – we would tell her and she would look it up and tell us the symbolism behind it.  Lately I’ve been dreaming of my teeth breaking – which implies that I’m self-conscious about my appearance.  I think it just means I’m due for a visit to the dentist !  Although, Just today my mum was mentioning that if you can remember your ‘early morning dream’ that it normally comes true. Hmmm I better call the dentist just in-case.
8. Dream Incorporation. Our mind interprets the external stimuli that our senses are bombarded with when we are asleep and make them a part of our dreams. This means that sometimes, in our dreams, we hear a sound from reality and incorporate it in a way.  I recall that whilst on the camping & rafting holiday; due to the fact my tent was facing the Ganges river & we were surrounded by natural forest; I would dream a lot about being in the river or have an adventure trek in the forest (something I actually didn’t do ‘cos of the foot!)
9. Fancy Predicting the Future or Déjà Vu Anyone ?  There have been times  where I’ve had dreams and maybe a few weeks later or months later .. that dream has come true ! The correct way would be to call it Precognitive Dreaming.   Then there’s that innate sense of Déjà vu that comes about when you’re having a chat with someone and you feel that you’ve had that particular conversation before.  Well guess what – you have – in your dreams ;)
10. Control Thy Dreams .. .. a.k.a lucid dreaming.  As a kid, I recall many times where I felt like I was completely ‘aware’ and ‘in control’ of my dream.  Have you ever felt like you could control and manipulate the situation or surrounding in the midst of a dream ? I’ve had dreams wherein if I was in a situation that made me feel uncomfortable or unpleasant – I have been ‘aware’ enough to change those circumstances, or ‘rewind’ the scene to ‘replay’ it in another way.  Has that ever happened to you ?
11. Men & Women dream differently.  If a man states that he only dreams about sexy sizzling women – don’t worry they’re lying ! Around 70% of the characters in a man’s dream are other men.  Considering men have more aggressive emotions in their dreams than women – could they be practicing their combat skills to rescue damsels in distress ?? Although I will admit that I’ve had my own share of turbulent reveries ! Luckily for us women, we can appreciate both sexes so its a 50-50 ratio in our dreamland.   However the most emotion experienced in dreams is anxiety … even in our sleep we are bothered by negative emotions =(

12. Dreamy Orgasms.  Yup – one can experience an orgasm as strong as the real ‘O’  whilst dreaming.  So next time you have a naughty dream – keep dreaming – and you might just wake up pleasantly surprised … and on that note .. I’m happy to say that DAMN I woke up in a happy happy mood hehehe .. That’s right I was dreaming about YOU !

So what was the last dream that you had and remember ? Do you feel that you can control your dreams ? Have you ever experienced Déjà Vu whilst dreaming ?  Have you ever used a dream dictionary ? Do you believe that dreams are symbolic ? or do you just forget your dreams and move on with life ? 

I’d love to know your thoughts on this .. sometimes I feel we don’t give enough thought to all the things that actually go on with us – from a deeper perspective .. so this should be interesting …

Inspired By

1. Honest Information.com : Dream Dictionaries
2. Honest Information.com : Dream Facts
3. Animals Also Dream Images
4. How Déjà Vu Works ?

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