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    Dream-Related Questions

    What is the average amount of dreams a person usually has in one night?

    The average person has about 3 to 5 dreams per night, but some may have up to 7 dreams in one night. The dreams tend to last longer as the night progresses. During a full 8-hour night sleep, two hours of it is spent dreaming.

    Please tell me is it unusual for an individual to have multiple dreams during the course of one night's sleep? Is this normal? I normally dream two or three dreams in one night.

    It is not at all unusual for a person to have more than one dream per night. In fact, it is perfectly normal! The trick is remembering all your dreams. Some people have trouble remembering one single dream, let alone multiple dreams. 

    Does a person dream all night? If not, when do they?

    No, a person does not spend the entire night dreaming. A person spends about two hours in the dream state per night. A person moves through the four stages of the sleep cycle throughout the night. The final stage of the sleep cycle (referred to as REM sleep) is where dreaming occurs. Each cycle of sleep lasts anywhere from 60-90 minutes and then repeats itself throughout the night.

    Would you please tell me why people do not dream? 

    Everybody dreams! This is a scientifically proven fact. Research has shown that all human beings in a study exhibit brain activity during their sleep. Just because you cannot remember your dreams does not mean that you do not dream. So why is it that some people don't remember their dream? This may be attributed to alcohol consumption, certain antibiotics, fever, lack of sleep or too much sleep, high levels of stress, and/or unconscious fears about the content of your dreams. Some researchers believe that certain people have a genetic disposition to forget their dreams as they come out of their sleep. 

    Do children's dreams mean the same as adults? If not what is the difference?

    Dreams often reflect our experiences and life concerns. For this reason, children's dreams are different then the dreams of adults. The dreams of young children (3-5 year olds) usually have no real story line or any strong emotional content. Children around this age also frequently experience nightmares relating to their fears (strangers, monsters, loud noises, etc.) By the time children reaches their teen years, their dream patterns are matched closer to that of adults.

    Is it true that some dreams can predict the future?

    There is no scientific proof that dreams can predict and foretell the future. Yes, many people have had dreams that eventually came true afterwards. This can be explained in how we unconsciously gather little information here and there and when you have a dream, it puts together all this unconscious information before you are consciously able to do so. In short, you unconsciously already know what was going to happen and it only appears as if the dream had predicted the future. Another explanation is that such dream are mere coincidences or is the faulty memory of the dreamer.

    Why do you think that we have dreams?

    This is still an unresolved topic amongst researchers as to the reason we have dreams. One theory suggests that dreams serve as a means for cleansing and release. During the day, we may hold back our feelings and repress our anger. Thus dreams serve as a safe outlet for us to release our negative emotions. Another theory says that dreams is a biologically necessary aspect of sleep. Research has shown that people who were prevented from entering the dream state and woken up before they can dream were more easily irritated, jittery, and performed far below average.  I believe these are two theories summarize why we dream.

    Do dreams have any significance?

    Yes, dreams have a significance. The images in our dreams always contain hidden meaning which goes far beyond the outer appearance. The language of dreams is symbolic and not to be taken literally. The significance of dreams is personal and dependent on your own personal experiences. However, there are many universal symbols.

    What does it mean when you dream about the same person over and over again?

    Dreaming about the same person over and over again could just mean that you are thinking about that person a lot in real life. It is thus natural that they also appear in your dream life. Your dream is telling you that it is time to let this person know how you feel, especially if you are dreaming of him or her in a good way. Only good things can happen from you telling him or her. Even if he or she is not interested, at least you can move on from the crush.

    What causes or why do some dreams keep repeating themselves?

    Dreams that recur (or repeat themselves) is a clear indication that some issue is not being confronted or that it has not yet been resolved.  Your anxieties about a certain situation that you are struggling with may also cause you to have recurring dreams.

    Do we dream in black and white or color, or does it mean anything if we dream one way or the other?

    Most people do dream in color, but some may not notice or remember colors in their dreams. Because color is such a natural part of our visual experience, we sometimes overlook it in our dreams. Another reason is poor memory recall and how our dreams fade so quickly from our minds that we may only be able to recall the dream in shades of gray. Dreams that are in black and white are an indication of a depressed or saddened mood.

    I heard from a friend that the more senses you can experience in dreams (colors, smell, etc), the greater your intelligence is in general. Do you know anything about this?

    I have never heard that the more senses you experience in your dream is correlated with your intelligence. The way we process our senses varies from individual to individual and does not necessarily have to do with intelligence. However, it is correct to say that most people recall the visual and auditory aspects of their dreams. Touch, smell, and taste tend to be secondary unless it happens to be a central component of the dream, or unless the person is visually impaired. In this case, sense of touch and/or smell will dominate. 

    Do animal dreams?

    Similar to humans, all other mammals exhibit the same brain activity during sleep.  But the extent and nature of their dreams is another question. For obvious reasons, we cannot ask an animal the content of their dream.

    I've been checking out you web site since I found it a few day ago. I must say that your site is great!!!  But I still don't understand what REM sleep is. Does it refer to deep sleeping?

    Yes, the REM stage of sleep is where you achieve your deepest sleep. It is also the final stage in the sleep cycle. REM which stands for Rapid Eye Movement is so called because in this stage of sleep, your eyes move rapidly back and forth under your eyelids. It is also in REM sleep that you experience all your vivid, and sometimes bizarre dreams.

    How can our daily activities effect our dreams?

    Whenever you suppress your feelings throughout the day, it has a very good chance of showing up in your dream. For example, if you wanted to express your anger toward someone and then refrain from doing so, then your suppressed anger may show up in your dream in some symbolic form. Traumatic experiences also have a way to affect the content of your dreams.

    Are there any differences in male and female dream patterns?

    If, by dream patterns, you mean brain wave activity while in the dream state, then the answer is no. There are no differences between male and female dream patterns. However, if your are referring to the content of the dream, then the answer is yes. Studies have shown that men tend to dream more about men, while women dream about both men and women equally. This makes perfect sense when you think about it. Dreams are often seen as aspect of yourselves. For a man to dream about a woman, indicates that he is acknowledging some feminine aspect of his own self, which may be difficult for men to admit that they have a softer feminine side to begin with.

    Is it normal only to remember nightmares and never a good dream?

    It is not a question of whether or not it is normal to remember only your nightmares, but why you remember your nightmares as opposed to your other dreams. Nightmares are much easier to remember for several reasons. First nightmares are vivid, frightening, and often jolt you awake. Whenever you are awakened in the REM stage of sleep, you are much more likely to recall the events of your nightmare. Secondly, nightmares tend to occur in the early morning hours, when you are about to wake up. Remembering your dreams can take some effort on your part and not a question of normality.

    What does it mean to have a dream within a dream? 

    Having a dream within a dream may be safer and more acceptable way to express material from your unconscious. The dream within a dream protects you, the dreamer from waking up. Such dreams often reflect a hidden but crucial issue which you need to acknowledge and confront.

    Is it possible to die (not really die in real life) in your our dreams? 

    Yes, it is possible to experience death in your dreams. Dreams of death often occur as a result of great stress caused by relationships, school, career changes, depression or by the approach of death itself.  Death in dreams may also be viewed as a metaphor - as a new beginning or a time of renewal. Judging from your question, I am assuming you never have had a dream about dying.

    Do you think it is possible to connect and talk with people through dreams?

    On a symbolic level, yes it is possible to connect and interact with people through dreams. The dreaming mind serves as a "rehearsal" for what you want to say to this person in real life. In this regard, your dreams definitely help you to better connect with the person. Your dreams can offer a way to help you and show you how to talk to certain people.

    As for whether two people can actually to talk to each other through their dreams, that still remains to be research. This phenomenon is described as dream telepathy, a form of psychic or paranormal dreams.  There are stories of people who are extremely close, i.e. twins or mother/child, being able to communicate via their dreams.  

    I frequently have dreams that  something happens like a gun shot, I fall or something that would make me jerk.  I really do jerk and usually wake up. What's with that?  Like why do I jerk and wake up when something like that happens in my dream? 

    There is actually a term to describe what you are experiencing in your dream. It is called myclonic jerks. Many who dream that they are falling sometimes jerk or twitch their legs/arms and end up waking themselves up. There is no concrete reason as to why this happens. One theory is that it is our instinctive response for what the brain perceives as a potentially dangerous situation. Sometimes dreams are so real that the brain believes that you are really falling or in some sort of danger. And hence the brain sends signals to the body to start "fleeing".

    Site-Related Questions

    Do you grant permission for us to reproduce items from your Dream Dictionary and Dream themes? If so, do you charge a fee or expect appropriate credit listing your site url?

    If you are quoting brief quotations, reproducing a snippet or utilizing information from the Dream Moods  website, then please make sure to properly cite or reference DreamMoods.com Please do not replicate the entire website.

    I recently visited your web site and was very impressed with the "dream dictionary". It had a wide range of subjects and was informative. I was wondering if there is a printed version of this, that is available?

    We are excited to announce the release our new book. Please follow this link for more details and ordering information.

    How do I cite your website for my school project?

    Here are two examples for citing an article on our website - "Analyzing Your Daydreams" :

    APA Style:

    Vigo, Michael.  (2000, Mar).  Analyzing Your Daydreams. Dream Moods . http://www.dreammoods.com/

    dreaminformation/dreamtypes/daydreams.htm (1 Jun 2001).

    MLA Style:

    Vigo, Michael. "Analyzing Your Daydreams." Dream Moods. 2001. http://www.dreammoods.com/

    dreaminformation/dreamtypes/daydreams.htm

    (1 Jun. 2001)

    Does it cost to enter your website? I know it cost to have a dream interpretation, but does it cost to look at the other stuff too? Can you please e-mail me back about this? I would deeply appreciate it. Thank You!

    Our site is completely free, so feel free to navigate through all areas of www.DreamMoods.com and/or participate in the dream forums. Due to the overwhelming requests for dream interpretations, we are no longer able to offer our interpretation services. We suggests that you post and share your dream in our Dream Discussion Forums .

    Are your dream interpretations based on clinical psychology or just opinion?

    Most of the interpretations on the site are from a psychological perspective or Freudian view. We also offer  a mythological interpretation of some symbols to serve as alternate viewpoints.

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