Dreams can potentially offer us important messages and guidance in our lives. Of course, sometimes a dream is just a dream.

But consider dreams may also sometimes cause you to ponder something in your awakened state that you hadn’t previously thought of. 

There are many people throughout history who claimed to have been visited in their dreams, or have received inspiration for their ideas and inventions through dreaming. Do our dreams mean anything?

Do Our Dreams Mean Anything?

Dreams can be meaningful because they often feature personal conflicts and emotional issues that people are experiencing in their actual lives. Some experts believe dreams exist to help us solve problems in real life.

Why do some dreams feel so real?

Sometimes the dreams we have seem very real. Most of the emotions, sensations, and images we feel and see are those we’ve experienced in our lives. It’s because the same parts of the brain that are active while awake are also active when we’re in certain stages of sleep.

How long do dreams last?

The length of a dream can vary, they may last for only a few seconds, or can actually last up to 30 minutes. As we’ll discuss, people are more likely to remember the dream if they are awakened during the REM phase of sleep.

Why do I remember my dreams?

Abrupt waking during a dream or REM sleep will result in a more vivid recall of your dreams. Sleep apnea, alcohol, or irregular sleep patterns can also enhance dream recall.

List of common nightmares

• Teeth falling out.
• Being chased.
• Falling.
• Drowning.

Why do I dream about the same person?

Some reasons we dream about the same people may simply be that we see them a lot during the day.  It could be a co-worker or even a stranger that you often see on a daily route.

You may often dream of a close friend or loved one that has passed away. Your dream may be a way of dealing with loss and grief.

What does it mean when you dream about someone?

When you dream about someone, it can also be a reflection of how you feel about them in your real life.

The dream might be telling you to pay attention to that person a bit more. Your subconscious might be trying to send a message up to the conscious mind to help figure it out.

Can you control your dreams?

Most experts believe that lucid dreams are the rarest type of dreams. With lucid dreaming, you’re conscious that you’re dreaming but you keep on dreaming. According to researchers, 55 percent of people experience these types of dreams at least once in their life. Some people can even control certain elements of their nightly dreams.

What causes strange dreams?

If you’re having strange or weird dreams, it can be due to stress, anxiety, or sleep deprivation. To stop, try managing stress levels and sticking to a more consistent sleep routine. When you wake up from a weird or disturbing dream, you can use deep breathing to go back to sleep.

Why do dreams repeat?

Recurring dreams might reflect unresolved conflicts in the person’s life. Recurring dreams can often occur during times of stress, or even over long periods of time, sometimes several years.

What’s the science behind why we dream?

I searched around but couldn’t find a lot of information about why we dream.  I found one good explanation here:

“The Activation-Synthesis Model says that dreams are actually random. They are our brains’ way of making sense of activity that goes on while we sleep. Our brains take signals from parts like the amygdala and the hippocampus and try to interpret them, resulting in dreams”

Source:(stronautabby.com)

Final Thoughts

Most of my life I haven’t put a lot of stock into interpreting my dreams. 

I do often get the falling nightmare, and in real life let’s just say I’m not a big fan of heights. So maybe there’s something to that one. Also earlier this month I personally experienced what I would classify as a lucid dream, which formed the inspiration for this post.

I know I’m just scraping the surface here, please comment about your dream experiences or thoughts. 

Read More:

Do Our Dreams Mean Anything? (The Science Behind it)