Dreams

What are dreams?

Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.

1. Violent dreams can be a warning sign.

As if nightmares weren't bad enough, a rare sleep disorder - called REM sleep behavior disorder causes people to act out their dreams, sometimes with violent thrashes, kicks and screams. Such violent dreams may be an early sign of brain disorders down the line, including Parkinson's disease and dementia, according to research published online July 28, 2010, in the journal Neurology.

2. Night owls have more nightmares.

Staying up late has its perks, but whimsical dreaming is not one of them. Research revealed that night owls are more likely than their early-bird counterparts to experience nightmares.

The researchers said the difference was a significant one, however, they arent sure what's causing a link between sleep habits and nightmares. Among their ideas is the stress hormone cortisol, which peaks in the morning right before we wake up, a time when people are more prone to be in REM, or dream, sleep. If youre still sleeping at that time, the cortisol rise could trigger vivid dreams or nightmares, the researchers speculate.

3. Sleep-walking is a legitimate defense to homicide.

While it doesnt happen often, there have been numerous reported cases of sleepwalkers killing people while sleepwalking. As of the year 2000, there were 68 reported cases in the literature.

4. You can be conscious in a dream.

For most people, dreaming is a passive state where the impossible is possible - its another reality we experience, totally separate from our normal lives. While the images may be extremely vivid in the moment, they quickly fade as we wake up and realize - with either great relief or extreme disappointment - that it was only a dream. Yet not all dreams are like this. Lucid dreams are dreams where you are conscious that youre dreaming, but your brain is still in a state of sleep. Approximately 50% of people have experienced a lucid dream in their life, though the amount of people who experience lucid dreams on a regular basis is significantly lower.

5. Women experience more nightmares than men.

A study by psychologist Jennie Parker of the University of the West of England found that women experience more nightmares than males. Women not only reported more nightmares, but they also reported their nightmares as more emotionally intense.

The End