There are many, many questions about dreams, dreamers and dream interpretation, and just about everyone who has had a dream has one or more questions about that dream. This article contains some of the most frequently encountered questions about the world of dreams and dream interpretation.
How many dreams do most people have in a night?
The average person has between four and seven dreams every night. Between 15% and 20% of the average night is spent sleeping, therefore an eight hour night of sleep will contain up to two hours of dream sleep.
Do I dream every night?
Yes. Every human being dreams every night, whether they can remember their dreams or not. The dreams that are easiest to remember are those that take place closest to waking.
Do people dream the entire night?
No. The entire night is not spent dreaming, and it usually takes a person anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes to reach a sleep state deep enough for dreams to occur. During the final and deepest stage of sleep, the sleeper will cycle in and out of REM sleep.
How long do dreams last?
The average session of dream sleep lasts from 10 to 20 minutes, after which the sleeper cycles back into the deepest stage of sleep. After a time, the sleeper will reenter dream sleep. Each session of dream sleep will contain its own unique dream.
Do the dreams of children have the same meaning as adult dreams?
In many cases, dreams are reflections of the concerns and experiences of the waking world. Since those concerns and experiences are different in children than in adults, the differences are reflected in dreams as well. Studies have shown that the dreams of young children do not have either strong emotional content or a real storyline. Children between the ages of 3 to 7 are often troubled my nightmares as well. These nightmares are often reflections of their own real world fears, like noises, monsters, etc. The dreams of older children and teenagers more closely match those experienced by adults.
Do young children dream about themselves?
It is interesting to note that children generally do not dream about themselves until they reach the age of three. Children younger than three do not usually dream about themselves, and are not characters in their own dreams. This may reflect the fact that most children do not develop a strong sense of self until the age of three.
Can dreams predict the future?
While many people feel that their dreams can predict the future, there is no scientific proof that dreams are predictive. What many people mistake for prediction may actually be the fact that the subconscious notices many things that go totally unnoticed by the waking mind. When the dreamer sleeps, the items noticed by the subconscious are incorporated into the dream, and the dreamer may notice many things the dreamer missed during the day. These unnoticed clues may be misinterpreted as predictions of the future, when in fact they were simply missed clues to present events.
Why do we dream?
The exact function of dream sleep is still a matter of contention among scientists and dream researchers. One popular theory holds that dreams are a way for the subconscious mind to cleanse itself and make sense of the sensory inputs gathered during the waking hours. Another popular theory is that dreams are a sort of release valve. For instance, many people hold back or repress their feelings of anger and resentment during the day. Dreams, the theory goes, are a handy and safe outlet for those repressed feelings to express themselves.
Dream interpretation as an actual profession goes back at least as far as ancient Greek and Roman society, but informal dream interpretation is likely as old as dreaming itself. There is good reason to believe that people have been experiencing dreams as long as their have been people, and we know that dreams and their interpretation date back at least as far as 3000-4000 B.C. We know that because the interpretations of various dreams were recorded on stone tablets and found later by archeologists.
Many scientists and anthropologists believe that ancient peoples were unable to distinguish the difference between the real, or physical world, and the dream world, or the world of the unconscious. To many of these people, there was no distinction, and the dream world was simply an extension of the physical world.
In fact, many of these ancient cultures, and some modern ones as well, felt that the dream world is more powerful and real than the physical universe, and that dreams are the soul's way of communing with the infinite, and gathering knowledge and wisdom from the past.
While science knows a great deal about dreams and their meaning, in many ways dreams remain as much a mystery today as when the first cavemen dreamed about the thrill of the hunt or the fear of running from faster predators.
For instance, scientists still do not know why we dream, or what the purpose of dream sleep is, but they do know that people need to dream. Volunteers deprived of dream sleep experienced all manner of psychological problems, ranging from problems concentrating to visual and auditory hallucinations.
Dream interpretation has a long and storied history, and dream interpreters have been in high demand throughout history. The interpretation of dreams was so important to the ancient Greek and Roman societies that they rode along with soldiers in battle, and advised rulers on the best course of action. Dreams were taken quiet seriously in these societies, and a dream thought to be an ill omen was enough to derail a piece of legislation or even put off a long planned battle.
The culture of ancient Egypt also gave dreams great importance, as well as religious significance. The Egyptians believed that dreams contained messages from the gods, and these messages were to be heeded. We know about the importance the ancient Egyptians placed on dreams, because dreams and their interpretations were recorded in hieroglyphs. People who had particularly vivid dreams were given a special place in society, and thought to be blessed by the gods. Those who had special abilities to interpret those dreams also enjoyed a blessed status and a special place in Egyptian society.
Egypt was not alone in the Middle East as a source of dreams and dream interpretation. The Bible contains over 700 mentions of dreams, and many dream interpretations as well. The dreams of prophets, and the interpretations of those dreams, played a large role in Biblical history.
Dream interpretation was often looked upon as a form of prophecy, and dreams were often analyzed to provide clues to future events. Dreams were seen to be messages from gods, spirits or from departed relatives.
This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse, you agree to our Privacy Policy