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Brooke Royal
UWRT 1103
Close your eyes and try to remember the last dream you had? Was your dream very vivid
and easy to recall, or have you already forgotten what had happened? Dreaming is a universal
phenomenon that all humans, and even certain types of living organisms, such as certain species
of animals, experience across the globe on a daily basis. Most of us often ponder on the same
questions; why do we dream, what do these dreams mean, and what is the science behind it?
Dreams can vary from different locations, having different people from our past or our
present make an appearance, and can also be either a sweet dream or a beautiful
nightmare, according to Beyonce. Exploring the mystery behind dreaming can be intriguing
when viewing studies that scientists have discovered and also considering the “old wives
What is Dreaming?
involuntarily in a person’s mind during certain stages of sleep. Dreams can vary from
during a stage of sleep known as rapid eye movement, or REM abbreviated. During this
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stage of sleep, brain activity is at it’s highest which resembles being awake, which causes us
to see images and use our imagination (American Sleep Association). Although most of our
dreaming occurs during REM, “it can occur during other stages of sleep, but these tend to
be less vivid and less memorable” (American Sleep Association). Dreams cannot be
contained into one box considering there are different types of dreams and different way of
Types of Dreams
The most common types of dreams that people can recall at the top of their head is
simply a regular dream or a nightmare. One type of dreaming that some know about, but
most people are in the dark about is a sensation called lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming can
be defined as awareness while dreaming even though you are asleep. “This specific state of
consciousness is very interesting because skilled lucid dreamers can fly through the air,
practice complex activities, or cope with nightmare situations” (Schredl, Michael). Lucid
dreaming, like most things, take practice considering it takes breathing control and
concentration. Although lucid dreaming sounds like something you might want to try, it
also comes with potential problems. “Persons with lucid dreams reported poorer sleep
quality because they also experienced nightmares more often…possible effects on daytime
behavior, for example, tiredness (Schredl, Michael). So besides the fact that we can control
Most of us often what causes this natural occurrence in our lives, but don’t really
understand the science behind the reason. Dreaming all stems back to our brain and how
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our brain functions while we are sleeping. The brain being the most complex organ in the
human body, there is still such mystery behind it. Due to the brain being extremely
complex, there is no real answer as to why we dream, but there is a great deal of evidence
that has been found in several different theories that could possibly lead to a sole answer, or
that could be conjoined with another that is the real reason (Breus, Michael). According to
Psychology Today, “Theories of dreaming span scientific disciplines, from psychiatry and
psychology to neurobiology.” These theories include components such as your brain acting
and processing memories throughout your day, the brain responding to biochemical
changes and electric pulses, processing information from your past, present, and future,
and even can be an extension of waking consciousness (Breus, Michael). It is very likely
that all of these factors contribute in some shape or form to the product that our brain
displays to us while we are asleep. One famous theory is the Freudian Theory, and
according to the American Sleep Association, “most people generally endorse the Freudian
theory of dreams, and that is that dreams reveal hidden emotions and desires.” Although
these theories are just theories, there are also several studies and newfound evidence that
shows how certain factors can affect our dreaming and the way our brain processes while
we dream.
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Many factors can come into play when we think about dreaming. Some widely
known factors include the obvious alcohol and drugs, sleeping conditions, and even
diseases. Although people know that these can affect not only their overall health, but the
way their brain operates, many don’t understand how it can truly affect your dreaming
even when your brain is “asleep”. Alcohol and drugs do affect dreaming by “disrupting the
normal, healthy sleep cycle and leads to fragmented sleep…consuming too close to bedtime
may alter and diminish time spent in REM sleep” (Breus, Michael). Certain sleeping
disorders, the most commonly known being insomnia, can also affect the way we dream.
Insomnia has been widely known to be linked with depression and anxiety which can also
have an effect. According to Psychology Today, “Depression and anxiety often are
dreams, sometimes in the form of recurring dreams”. A type of mental disorder that is
more common than most think, is post-traumatic stress order, or PTSD. Many who have
experienced a frightening situations such as soldiers who have fought in active combat or
individuals who have experienced sexual or emotional abuse, tend to develop this disorder.
Due to this disorder becoming more talked about and frequent within soldiers, scientists
have actually proposed the creation of a new sleeping disorder called Trauma Associated
Sleep Disorder (Breus, Michael). Now that we have discussed the science behind dreaming,
While most people in our society tend to rely on scientific explantation for
unexplainable phenomenons that occur in our world today, many cultures still have beliefs
about dreams and why they occur due to spirituality and other cultural beliefs. For
example, many early civilizations believed “dreams acted as a medium between our earthly
world and that of the gods (Linden, Sander van der) and “the Greeks and Romans were
convinced that dreams could predict the future” (Atherton, Sam). There are many pieces of
evidence that have allowed scientists and researchers to draw these conclusions from these
historical societies. Many artifacts have been found that support each societies belief on
dreaming such “As early as 5,000 B.C., Mesopotamians made a habit of recording their
dreams on clay tablets” (Handley, Andrew). Many legends have also been discovered that
were told as stories to each tribe or civilization based on each culture’s gods/goddesses or
nature. “In some legends, dreams are sent from the gods; in others, terrifying monsters
lurk at the fringes of consciousness, waiting for their chance to creep into the shadows of
our minds” (Handley, Andrew). One of the most widely known symbol/legend is the Native
certain patterns around a ring. Attached at the bottom typically are feathers and beads.
Dreamcatchers are placed above your bed where you lay your head at night and are
thought to catch the bad spirits that could cause nightmares. Unlike the beneficial story of
the dreamcatcher, there are also legends throughout other cultures such as Germanic
folklore, that have evil influence. In Germanic folklore there is a creature called a Mara, "a
mara is an evil spirit that sits on your chest while you sleep, constricting your air supply
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and turning your dreams into nightmares…the mara takes the form of a beautiful woman
at night. She visits men in their sleep to torture them and slowly suck away their life force
over the course of decades” (Handley, Andrew). Although there are many different legends,
symbols, and stories among many different cultures, each person has their own beliefs on
Conclusion
Dreams are a very mysterious and complex part of our everyday lives that we tend
to overlook and not think too much about. There are many scientific theories and research
still happening today that is unfolding more information as to why we dream and the
meaning of our dreams. It is interesting to also consider folklore and legends from across
the globe from different civilizations and cultures and the spiritual meaning behind them.
Dreaming is so complex because of our brain being the most complex organ in the human
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body. Although there is no set reason as to why we dream, it is a very riveting and
References
• Atherton, Sam. “Do People Actually Believe Dreams Mean Something To Us?” The Sleep
Matters Club, The Sleep Matters Club, 13 Mar. 2017, www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matters-club/
do-people-actually-believe-dreams-mean-something-to-us/.
• Handley, Andrew. “10 Ancient Legends About Dreams.” Listverse, 20 June 2014,
listverse.com/2014/01/21/10-ancient-legends-about-dreams/.
• Linden, Sander van der. “The Science Behind Dreaming.” Scientific American, 26 July 2011,
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-behind-dreaming/
• “Dreams - What They Mean and Psychology behind Them – American Sleep
Association.” American Sleep Association, www.sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/dreams/.