Part I: Dreams 101, The Science
The Science Behind Dreams
“I had the most random dream last night.
I dreamt that I was running late to take an exam, and on my way, I had to stop at Krispy Kreme to get a dozen donuts, but they only sold hamburgers. While I was there, I ran into Peter from 3rd Grade and we had to run an errand to the bowling alley in order to enter the exam room.
Everything I did at each point of my dream made complete sense in my dream, but I have no idea why.”
This is within the realm of what my husband finds me declaring to him the morning after a dream of mine: random and often, unclear of meaning.
I have also had more meaningful dreams that have provided solutions to problems, informed me of a future pregnancy of a friend, and even, provided me with hints of my own baby’s gender (we waited until birth to find out and you guessed it, the dreams were accurate).
This led me to believe that there has to be more to dreams than the simple fact that they occur while we are asleep.
I feel as if I accepted the definition of dreaming from childhood and didn’t give it a second glance or thought. Now, there is a sizable piece of me that believes that besides the science behind dreaming and what our brain undergoes while we are asleep, that there are in fact premonitions that occur, solutions to perceived problems provided to us and a connection to our angels, guides and deceased loved ones within the dreaming state.
This propelled me forward on a path to research dreams further and share the science, research and the magic behind what we know dreams to be.
And just like in our dreams, in which we often don’t know what is up or what is down, I too, have incurred a tricky time knowing where to begin or where to end this piece; there is so much good scientific information, studies and meanings. As such, I have decided to separate this topic into two different blogs: one based in science and another based in magic, but I believe, that together, they go hand-in-hand:
Dreams 101
Part I
Dreams: A Personal Experience
Science: The Research Behind Dreams
Science: The Benefits of Dreaming
Part II
Magic: Dream Interpretations
Dreams: A Personal Experience
A common theme within my dreams, is that there are quite a number of people in the background that I do not know, and then one or two people I am focused on, that I do know.
{Side note - There is a part of me that is convinced that these people I do not know, are also dreaming at the same time as I am, and I am in their dream’s background, almost as if we are in one energetic plane. I know this theory of mine skips to part II of dream interpretations, but I wanted to share this in advance.}
I’ve had dreams with deceased loved ones, a few that have left me to believe that they in fact, visited me to say “Hello!” and “All is well.”
Two examples of this include my grandfather, Ova, who passed when I was three, visited me at my graduation and said how proud he was of me. Another, his wife and my grandmother, Nana, who recently passed, came to me in a dream and asked that I take a picture of her with the sunset, and once I did, she vanished (She loved pictures, so this was a very fitting departure!).
On the flip side, a typical nightmare for me, is one in which I am escaping harm’s way and am unable to yell for help. I literally wake up from these dreams completely drained, as if I never went to bed to begin with.
Another one is a loss of a loved one. I remember crying in these dreams and again, waking up feeling as if I have in fact, experienced deep grief of loss for someone who is still very much alive.
Then, as a child, I had repetitive nightmares of being tickled to death. There was a tickle monster I couldn’t see who would tickle the living daylights out of me.
I know I am not alone in dreaming these dreams.
I also know that I am not alone in wanting to believe that there are deeper meanings behind the dreams we dream. That the comfort we find behind having a visitation from a passed loved one is real and that dreaming up the solution to a conundrum leads us to inner peace, but before I dive into the meaning and magic behind dreams, I want to first provide you with scientific context on dreams.
Science: The Research Behind Dreams
Whenever I begin to research something complex, I start with articles that are geared towards kids. This way, I have a foundation of understanding the topic at hand in layman’s terms, so that when I review the big leagues of references, I generally know what in this case: scientists, phycologists, researchers, are referring to without having it go over my head. With that in mind, I am going to pull out key learnings and quotes that I found fascinating to add value on this journey of understanding your dreams on a deeper level.
Frontiers for Young Minds, The Science of Dreams, author Rebecca Spencer defines dreams as “our thoughts during sleep that we recall when we wake up.”
There are five sleep cycles you undergo while asleep. Dreams, however, typically only occur during one of these cycles: the REM stage of your sleep cycle. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, which according to our favorite platform to blame for false self-diagnosis anxiety, webmd.com, is a period in which “your eyes move around rapidly in a range of directions, but don’t send any visual direction to your brain.”
REM sleep stage occurs about 90 minutes after you have first fallen asleep, after the initial sleep cycles you have gone through, and is often considered to be “the deep sleep.” The REM sleep cycle also increases in length, the longer you sleep; so, if your first REM cycle is about 60 minutes, your next one may be 75 minutes and so on. This inevitability means you may very well dream more the more hours you clock each night. Additionally, how often you dream varies from person-to-person and is largely based on age and genetics.
As noted in Dreams, What Do our Dreams Mean? The Theories Behind Dream Meanings by Sam Atherton, “Scientists estimate that we have roughly 3-6 dreams in [each] night and around 95% of these dreams are forgotten the following morning.”
So, how can you improve dream retrieval?
The 2011 Journal of Neuroscience, published a study that re-affirmed the already known theory that we are most likely to remember dreams when we are woken directly after a REM cycle whether by an alarm clock or someone else. Simply put: because you dream within an REM cycle, then repeat other stages of sleep cycles afterwards, you are less likely to forget what you dreamt about if woken up directly after REM versus at another point of the sleep cycle where you may have forgotten details.
Where do dreams occur in the brain?
According to The Scientific American, The Science Behind Dreaming “A very rare clinical condition known as Charcot-Wilbrand Syndrome has been known to cause (among other neurological symptoms) loss of the ability to dream. However, it was not until a few years ago that a patient reported to have lost her ability to dream while having virtually no other permanent neurological symptoms. The patient suffered a lesion in a part of the brain known as the right inferior lingual gyrus (located in the visual cortex). Thus, we know that dreams are generated in, or transmitted through this particular area of the brain, which is associated with visual processing, emotion and visual memories.”
& to the million dollar {dream} question, what do scientists believe the purpose and meaning behind our dreams are?
From the article on Dreams.com, What Do our Dreams Mean? The Theories Behind Dream Meanings.
Dream analyst and author, Lauri Quinn Loewenberg answered the question, “Why do we dream?” by stating: “Dreaming is a thinking process. In fact, it is a continuation of your thoughts from the day. That chatter in your head that goes on all day long continues as you drift off to sleep, and, once you enter REM sleep, when dreaming takes place, those thoughts continue in symbols and metaphors instead of in words.”
“During REM, the brain is working differently to when we are awake; certain parts of the brain have become dormant, such as the prefrontal cortex which controls rational thought, while other parts become highly active, such as the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls emotions. Through the dreaming process, you are continuing your thoughts about your day: your mistakes, your achievements, your hopes for tomorrow. Your dream thoughts are actually more focused and significantly more profound because your dreams provide you metaphoric commentary on yourself.”
Although this makes the most logical sense, I actually prefer Sigmund Freud’s original theory on dreams being comprised of your suppressed wishes and desires, which although largely debunked by modern-day science, acts as a wonderful segue to Part II, Dream Interpretations.
But before we dive headfirst into the magical abyss, let’s discuss the benefits of obtaining deep sleep.
Science: Benefits of Dreaming
Outside of the obvious in knowing that sleep in general, is important for a multitude of reasons, what are the benefits of deep-sleeping? Of dreaming?
From The American Phycological Association The Science of Dreaming, by Kaitlin Luna featuring Dr. Deirdre Barrett, a psychologist and scholar of dreams who's on the faculty of Harvard Medical School's Behavioral Medicine Program, states her view on the benefit of dream as: “I think the benefit of dreams lie in just what a different biochemical state it is so if we're kind of stuck in our usual everyday rational thinking, dreams may make an end run around that and show us something very different.”
Here are just a few other benefits to increasing your REM cycle:
· Memory retention: “Memories move from temporary storage in the hippocampus An area in the brain that is thought to be important for short-term memory (a brain structure that is very important for short-term memory), to permanent storage in other parts of the brain. This makes the memories easier to remember later. Memories improve with sleep because the memories are replayed during sleep.” (Source: Frontiers of Young Minds, The Science of Sleep by Rebecca Spencer)
· Heightens creativity and problem solving almost like a filtration system, you go through memories surrounding something with a different lens, allowing you to look at experiences and problems, differently.
· Helps to regulate our emotions and mood: “These studies show us that sleep and dreams are important for our emotions. By processing emotions in sleep, we may be better prepared and in a better mood the next day.” (Source: Frontiers of Young Minds, The Science of Sleep by Rebecca Spencer)
I get a sense that deep sleep acts as a restorative, filtering system. As if our brain cells are processing the experiences and emotions from each day that flood in on a cellular conveyor belt, taking another look at them, and calling to mind within our dreams, what is most important to us, what learnings we underwent that day, all to better process and view things with a clear head.
However, I also believe, that working alongside these brain cells, are also little angels, passed loved ones and guides, all sneaking one or two things onto these conveyor belts at the same time.
Just a thought…
Part II: Dreams 101, The Magic Behind Dream Interpretations to come.
“Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.”
{Sources: Frontiers for Young Minds, The Science of Dreams, by Rebecca Spencer, webmd.com definition of “REM", Dreams, What Do our Dreams Mean? The Theories Behind Dream Meanings by Sam Atherton, The Scientific American, The Science Behind Dreaming by Sander van der Linden, The American Phycological Association The Science of Dreaming, by Kaitlin Luna featuring Dr. Deirdre Barrett}