The literal definition of a dream is: a series of thoughts, images, or emotions that occur during sleep of an individual. Though the literal definition seems pretty straight forward, there’s so much more to dreams than what meets the eye. During sleep, our mind creates stories that can be entertaining, fun, romantic, disturbing, or even frightening. Dreams have eluded scientists and psychologists for hundreds of years, and they still haven’t been able to figure out why dreams occur, or if we can control them. What’s fascinating about dreams is that they can happen at any time during sleep, but most vivid dreams during a phase called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when your brain is most active. Given the fascinating and mysterious nature of dreams, we are sure that there are plenty of things that you might know about them, which is why we have made a list of some of the unknown facts you might have not known about dreams.
Unknown Facts About Dreams
•Within 5 minutes of waking half of your dream is forgotten. Within 10 minutes, you forget 90% of the dream,
•Longer dreams mostly occur in the morning hours.
•Our most vivid dreams happen during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which happens in short episodes throughout the night about 90 to 120 minutes apart.
•Most of your muscles become paralyzed during REM sleep to prevent you from acting out your dreams.
•Around 12 percent of people dream in black and white.
•Researchers have found that people usually have several dreams each night, each one typically lasting for between five to 20 minutes.
•During a typical lifetime, people spend an average of six years dreaming.
•You can’t read while dreaming, or tell the time. So, if you are unsure whether you are dreaming or not, try reading something or look at the clock.
•Dreams are responsible for many of the greatest inventions of mankind. A few examples include: The idea for Google -Larry Page, Alternating current generator -Tesla, DNA’s double helix, The sewing machine -Elias Howe, Periodic table -Dimitri Mendeleyev
•There have been some astounding cases where people actually dreamt about things which happened to them later, in the exact same ways they dreamed about. Some of these cases include: Abraham Lincoln dreamt of His Assassination, Mark Twain’s dream of his brother’s demise, Many of the victims of 9/11 had dreams warning them about the attack.
•In our dreams, we only see faces that we already know, as our mind is not capable of creating new faces in our dreams. So the people and faces that you see in your dreams are actually the people you’ve seen in real life.
•The most common emotion experienced in dreams is anxiety. Negative emotions are more common than positive ones.
•Studies have showed that some of the animals dream too, as they all show the same brain waves during dreaming sleep as humans.
•During REM sleep the body is paralyzed by a mechanism in the brain to prevent the movements which occur in the dream from causing the physical body to move.
•Studies indicate that between 18% and 38% of people have experienced at least one precognitive dream and 70% have experienced déjà v
•It is believed that if you are snoring, then you cannot be dreaming.
•Most of our dreams are linked to thoughts or events from the previous day or two.
•Many of our dreams are strange because the part of the brain responsible for making sense of things shuts down during dreaming.
•Parasomnia is a disorder that refers to unusual behaviours while a person is sleeping. This includes Sleep walking, eating etc.
•15% of the population are sleepwalkers. And the saying that you shouldn’t wake a sleepwalker is a myth, as it is not dangerous.
•The longest recorded period of time without sleep is 11 days. But, going without sleep for more than a few days is extremely dangerous, as it can cause hallucinations, weight gain, weaker immune system and even death.
•Pregnant women have it tough to fall asleep in a comfortable position. But, the perfect position for pregnant women to sleep is on your side, which is safest for both mother and baby.
•Lucid dreaming is where people are aware, they’re asleep, and can sometimes control what they dream about.
•Getting a decent amount of sleep can help you shed weight, as sleeping is as important as diet and exercise.
•Before the invention of Colour Television, Only 15% of Us Dreamt in Colour. The percentage has moved up to 75% now.
•We don’t feature in our own dreams until we’re around three or four.
•We usually dream about sadness, anxiety or guilt.
•Studies indicate that men get up to 20 erections per dream.
•While sleep is used to let our body rest, this is not the case with brains, as our brains are more active during sleep than during the day.
•Dreams help in recharging our creativity
•We all dream, but up to 60% of people don’t remember their dreams at all.
•Dreaming can help you learn and develop long-term memories.
•Violent dreams can be a warning signs for brain disorders, including Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
•According to the theory of Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard psychologist, sleeping hours may help us solve puzzles that have plagued us during daylight hours.
•You’re more likely to have pleasant dreams if you’re experiencing low stress and feel satisfied in your real life.
•Approximately 4 percent of men and women’s dreams are about sex, according to research.
•You’re more likely to dream about sex if you sleep facedown.
•Nightmares usually begin between the ages of 3 and 6, and decrease after the age of 10.
•Nightmares occur most frequently in the last third of the night.
•Eating before bed makes nightmares more likely, because it increases your metabolism, signaling your brain to be more active.
Also Read: Unknown Facts About Dinosaurs
