1. DOES EVERYBODY DREAM? It certainly looks that way. Even people who say they do not dream very much generally do recall dreams if they sleep in a laboratory and are awakened during REM ("rapid eye movement") sleep (the phase of sleep most closely linked to vivid dreams.) The average person experiences REM sleep 3 or 4 times each night, with each phase longer than the one that preceded it. The last REM period of the night may last upwards of 45 minutes. For about 90 minutes before the onset of REM sleep - and for shorter periods between subsequent REM phases -the body experiences cycles of a different kind of sleep. If awakened during these "deeper" sleep stages, the person reports mental activity that is more mundane, more thought-like than dream-like.
2.
IS IT NORMAL TO HAVE DREAMS IMMEDIATELY UPON FALLING ASLEEP, WITHOUT GOING
THROUGH THE OTHER SLEEP STAGES FIRST? People sometimes report that they
experience vivid dreams even when they fall asleep only for a very short time.
(For example, during the ten minutes between snooze alarms.) How could this
happen, if it takes 90 minutes to progress through the other sleep stages
and arrive at REM sleep? There are three possible logical explanations for
this phenomenon. First, on the borderline of sleep, there is a phase called
HYPNOGOGIA, during which many people experience bizarre and dream-like imagery.
Based on clinical data, this phase is not the same as true REM sleep, although
hypnogogic dreams may be indistinguishable from REM dreams. Second, if a person
is sleep deprived, they may experience an effect called REM REBOUND. For some
reason, the body tries to "make up for" REM time that is lost. So, following
a period of sleep deprivation, a person may experience much higher rates of
REM sleep than usual. The REM cycles would be more frequent, with fewer intervening
sleep stages.Third, as the night progresses, the rate of non-REM sleep drops
sharply. So if you return to sleep when you are actually very well-rested,
there is a good chance that you will r
eturn
directly to REM sleep.
3. HOW CAN I INCREASE/DECREASE MY DREAM RECALL LEVEL? There are wide differences in different peoples' levels of dream recall. Some people routinely remember three or more dreams every night; other people almost never recall dreams. Even for individuals, there are often large fluctuations in recall, depending upon time, energy, and life circumstances. While many people are satisfied with their personal level of dream recall, others are not. Some low-recallers feel they are missing something and would like to recall more dreams; some high-recallers feel "drained" because of a too-active dream life and would like to recall fewer dreams. The tips below are for increasing dream recall (the more common request in this forum). Do the opposite to decrease recall. · Pay a lot of attention to dreams. Think about them. Read about them. Talk about them. Recall generally increases with interest and involvement. · Keep paper and pencil (or a tape recorder) at your bedside. · Write down any dream that you remember, even if it is just a fragment of a dream, or even if it seems silly or insignificant. · Invest some energy into the care and maintenance of your dream journal. · Whenever possible, try to awaken naturally, without the aid of an alarm clock. Each time you awaken from internal cues (rather than an external stimulus), you are awakening directly from REM sleep and have the highest likelihood of recalling a dream. · When you wake up, stay quiet and still. Keeping your eyes closed, try to cast your mind BACK ("What was I just thinking about, a minute ago...?") rather than forward to the coming day's events. · Some people suggest drinking water before bed. The idea is that the urge to urinate might awaken you in the middle of the night, directly from a dream! (Of course, you risk having lots of dreams about oceans, toilets, etc.) · Others suggest setting your alarm clock for odd times during the night, to try to catch yourself dreaming. Or you could try waking up a half-hour early and then going back to sleep. · Be actively involved in waking life. Try new activities. Learn new things. This gives you more "material" for dreams. (To decrease dream recall, focus a great deal on outer, waking reality but avoid too many new and exciting activities, which may make your dreaming brain work overtime.) · The power of suggestion can be very strong. Before you fall asleep, read about dreams, and then state, aloud, your intention to recall a dream the next morning. One caution: Don't try TOO hard. Give yourself "a break" from your efforts, every now and then. Good luck to you!
4. ARE DREAMS REALLY IMPORTANT OR MEANINGFUL? This subject is open to debate. Most of the people who participate in the alt.dreams newsgroup feel that their dreams are personally meaningful, and enjoy exploring them. Some scientists and theorists agree with this perspective; others do not. You won't win a lot of popularity contests on alt.dreams if you constantly opine that dreams are meaningless nonsense. Regardless of your personal "take" on the inherent value of dreams, it is certainly true that many people throughout recorded history have felt that dreams are meaningful, and that many dreams have had an important impact upon cultures around the globe. Every major religion contains references to Divine inspiration through dreams; many creations and inventions (from fine art & literature to sewing machines to the theory of relativity) have been based upon dreams; and many dreams have been historically important (for example, in changing the course of battles or wars).
5. IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT RECURRING DREAMS? Most people who work with dreams agree that recurring patterns or themes in dreams deserve special attention. The basic idea is that there is a long-standing problem or an important message that the dreamer has not yet fully understood, so the dream keeps "sending" the same message over and over. These dreams are said to give us significant clues about our own issues, personality, and/or behavior.
