| Q: |
What is dreaming?
| | A: |
Dreaming, like sleep, is hard to define and some scientists
prefer to use the term “sleep mentation,” which means all the
perceptions, emotions, and thoughts experienced during sleep (or its
processes). Dreaming occurs mostly during REM sleep but can also occur
in NREM sleep.
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| Q: |
Why do we dream?
| | A: |
The purpose of dreaming is currently unknown. Physiological
theories give it no real importance, while psychoanalytic theories hold
the opposite view. What is known is that certain medications can
intensify dreams or lead to nightmares, and that mood is affected by the
type of dream or the sleep disturbance it causes. Dreaming is also
believed by some to consolidate memory.
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| Q: |
What is the difference between REM and NREM dreams?
| | A: |
REM dreams generally tend to be bizarre, vivid, and emotional,
and are usually better recalled than NREM dreams, which are considered
to be more thoughtlike, although not much may be remembered of them.
Dream reports are more common from both of these states of sleep the
later in the night a person is awakened.
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| Q: |
I don’t dream– is this normal?
| | A: |
Everybody dreams unless there has been significant damage to the
brain. Some people are just better at remembering their dreams than
others.
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| Q: |
What is lucid dreaming?
| | A: |
Lucid dreaming is the conscious perception of one’s dream,
sometimes enabling direct control over the content of the dreams. They
are not nightmares. Some psychiatrists use the technique of lucid
dreaming in therapy.
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| Q: |
What are nightmares?
| | A: |
We’ve all had nightmares. They are very common in both adults and
children. Nightmares are emotionally disturbing and extremely
frightening dreams involving threats to survival, security, or
self-esteem. People who have constant nightmares (dream anxiety
disorder) may have a genetic basis for this disturbance, but usually
there are underlying personality factors and psychological issues. Drugs
and alcohol can also affect nightmare frequency and severity.
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| Q: |
Are there any differences between a child’s dreams and an adult’s dreams?
| | A: |
Children’s dreams differ from adult dreams. Children dream more
about animals and family members, and less often about “themselves.”
Children also have fewer negative emotions in dreams. Studies show that
girls have more characters in their dreams, and more domestic
situations, than boys. In adolescence, dream content becomes similar to
that of adults.
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| Q: |
Do dreams have any meaning?
| | A: |
Studies show that it is impossible to generalize about individual
dreams. This means that the dreams you dream have meaning only for you
and are specific to your life. Studies of dream diaries kept by people
over many years show that symbols in dreams represent an integration of
individual life experiences into the dreams. Some dreams, such as being
chased or attacked, are common, but only reflect an emotional state
known to us all as anxiety.
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| Q: |
Where can I find out more about dreams and dreaming?
| | A: |
Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Adler were the first to
bring the unconscious to our attention in modern times, and their works
are a good place to start if you’re interested in the psychological
aspects of dreaming. Bookshops and “new age” shops stock “dream
dictionaries,” and you can always turn to more scientific studies as
well.
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