how do we dream?

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how you dream at night? Well, if so here's some information to solve this mystery...

Do some people never dream?

The brain is active most of the night, with particularly intense brain activity in the forehead and in the midbrain during a rapid eye movement (REM) which is when we dream. Researchers believe dreams have symbolic meanings while others believe dreams are related to working life.

People spend roughly one third of their lives sleeping and during that time we dream. While many theories exist to explain dreaming, no one fully understands the real purpose of what dreams exactly mean.

Activities and feelings in your brain

People agree that dreams are caused by our brains. Also, the activity levels in the brain change when you are in a sleep show or when you're dreaming. You may believe that dreams have a meaning. A dream that you have more than once can point to a problem, feeling, warning or even a lesson that you need to think about.

Bad dreams

Dreaming of bad things that happen to people you love and know can make you feel guilty especially if you're the one in the dream who is hurting or frightening them.

Your brain joins together both weird and familiar scenarios to create the weirdest and strangest nightmares while you sleep.

Dreams are feelings or emotions that come while you sleep. Many types of talk therapy help to reduce worries or fears that can cause nightmares. Nightmare are dreams that are frightening and seem very real.

Rapid Eye Movement

Studies show our brain waves are most active during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) cycles. During REM, your brain can be just as active as when you're awake. That is when you dream the most.

Dreams are one of the coolest and most mystifying things of sleep. While people dream the dreams that affect sleep very dramatically from one person to another.

Opposites

People have found some opposites between men and women when it comes to content in their dreams and in their brains. Most people report dreaming in color, but about 12% of people claim to really only dream in black and white.

Everyone dreams but people don't remember most of their dreams. Sleep researchers have found that most people forget their dreams. Some may claim that they don’t dream at all because they don't remember their dreams, but they really do dream.

While people sleep, they don't constantly dream. Instead they go through about four to six dream cycles per night.

Humans spend about one-third of their lives sleeping, but during sleep time the brain remains active.

You dream the most while your brain is very active during REM sleep.

Dreams are connected to our worries, feelings, and emotions, but humans actually forget almost all of their dreams.

Do you dream in color or black and white? Can you guess how most people dream?

Most people dream in color. Only about 12% of people report that they dream in black and white.

Visit these sources to find more information:

Books about Dreams:

  • Dreams: Mind Movies of the Night by Mary Herd Tull


Fun fACTS:

  • The people or faces you see in your dreams you have probably already met or seen before.

  • You can also learn while you dream.

  • You can not tell time or read in your dreams.

Go to Mr. Beekman's Class Website to check out more Big Question Projects...