Dreams have been studied throughout history, and
dream interpretation has tried to make sense of these nighttime visitations for
as long as there have been people to dream.
People who could interpret dreams and those whose dreams were
particularly vivid, were often thought to be imbued with divine powers and
they were given a special place in the society.
Even today, dream interpretation remains a highly
sought after art and science is continuing to focus on dream interpretation as
a way to deal with all kinds of anxieties and other underlying psychological
issues.
There are some interesting facts about dreaming
that you may not be aware of. These
facts include:
1. One third
of most people’s lives is spent asleep and a good portion of that time is
spent in dream sleep.
2. In the
average lifetime, a person will have spent approximately six years in dream
sleep, equivalent to more than 2,100 days of dreaming.
3. Dreams
have existed as long as human beings.
There are records of dreams going back over 4,000 years.
4. Dream
interpretation has existed almost as long as dreaming. Roman senators in
the ancient world often engaged the services of dream interpreters before
making important political and social decisions.
5. Every
human being dreams. Even if you do not
remember your dreams, you dream between four and seven times a night, every
night.
6. Many
animals dream as well. All mammals are
thought to dream, and it is suspected that some lower animals dream as
well. What they dream about, however,
remains a mystery.
7. If people
are prevented from dreaming, they suffer a variety of personality disorders and
psychological problems. The exact
function of dream sleep is still not known, but it is known that dreaming is an
indispensable part of life.
8. The
average person spends six hours per night sleeping and has from four to seven
dreams during that time.
9. Even
blind people dream. The dreams of blind
people who were previously sighted sometimes contain visual images, while the
dreams of those who have been blind from birth do not. Vision is not the only component of a dream,
however. Dreams also contain sounds,
sights, smells and touch sensations.
10. Dreams
are forgotten very quickly upon waking.
It is estimated that 50% of the content of a dream is lost within five
minutes of waking and after 10 minutes, as much as 90% of the dream can be
forgotten.
11. The word
dream is derived from a word in Middle English.
This word, dreme, translates to “music” and “joy”. It is therefore apparent that dreams have
long been looked at as a source of wonder and inspiration.
12. Men most
often dream about other men, while women tend to dream about men and women
equally.
13. Studies
of brain wave activity have revealed greater activity during dreaming than
during waking periods.
14. People
who are awakened during dream sleep are able to recall their dreams vividly,
while those who wait until morning to wake often are not.
15. Everyone,
men and women, seem to experience sexual arousal during their dreams,
regardless of whether or not the content of the dream is overtly sexual.
16. Smokers
who are trying to quit often report greater intensity in their dreams.
17. Studies
have shown that toddlers do not dream about themselves. In general, toddlers do not appear in their
own dreams until they reach the age of three or four.
18. It is
impossible to snore and dream at the same time.
19. Children
commonly experience nightmares, and these nightmares usually begin by the age
of three and last until the child is seven or eight years old.
20. More than
60% of people surveyed have reported experiencing Déjà vu in their dreams. Déjà vu dreams occur more frequently in women
than in men.
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