What are dreams?

WHAT ARE DREAMS ?

A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.

• Facts about dreams :

➡️ We may not remember dreaming but we all are thought to dream between 3 to 6 times per night.

➡️ It is found that each dream lasts between 5 to 20 minutes. 

➡️ Around 95% dreams are not able to remember as soon as the person gets out of bed. 

➡️ Dreaming can help you learn and develop long-term memories.

➡️ Blind people dream more with other sensory components as compared to sighted people.

     Dreams mainly occur in REM ( rapid eye movement ) stage of sleep cycle i.e when brain activity is high and resembles that of being awake. REM sleep are revealed by continuous movements of eyes during sleep. Dreams during this stage are remembered easily after sleep. 

     At times dreams occur in other stages of sleep also but these dreams are less vivid and memorable as compared to dreams occured during REM sleep stage. The length of a dream can vary to few seconds to approximately about 20 to 30 minutes. 

     Opinions about the meaning of dreams have varied and shifted through time and culture. Dreams reveal insight into hidden desires and emotions. Other prominent theories include those suggesting that dreams assist in memory formation, problem solving, or simply are a product of random brain activation.

•Religious veiws about dreaming :

In Hinduism

In the Mandukya Upanishad, part of the Veda scriptures of Indian Hinduism, a dream is one of three states that the soul experiences during its lifetime, the other two states being the waking state and the sleep state.

In Buddhism

In Buddhism, ideas about dreams are similar to the classical and folk traditions in South Asia. The same dream is sometimes experienced by multiple people, as in the case of the Buddha-to-be, before he is leaving his home. It is described in the Mahāvastu that several of the Buddha's relatives had premonitory dreams preceding this. Some dreams are also seen to transcend time: the Buddha-to-be has certain dreams that are the same as those of previous Buddhas, the Lalitavistara states. In Buddhist literature, dreams often function as a "signpost" notify to mark certain stages in the life of the main character.

•  Interpretations :

Common interpretations

Dream interpretation can be a result of subjective ideas and experiences. One study found that most people believe that "their dreams reveal meaningful hidden truths". In one study conducted in the United States, South Korea and India, they found that 74% of Indians, 65% of South Koreans and 56% of Americans believed their dream content provided them with meaningful insight into their unconscious beliefs and desires. This Freudian view of dreaming was believed by the largely non-scientific public significantly more than theories of dreaming that attribute dream content to memory consolidation, problem-solving, or random brain activity.

                    

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