Each one of us dreams every single night. They might be fascinating, stress-relieving and make us feel happy, sad or scared. On average a dream lasts around 20-30 minutes and we dream at least 2-3 hours every night. Dreaming helps us save memories, manage our emotions and solve problems by subconsciously coming up with scenarios related to our thoughts.
Here are some interesting facts about dreams:
1. Smell affects our sleep
Smelling different things before you fall asleep has an influence on your dreams. For example, smelling pleasant scents such as roses may lead to happier dreams.
2. Women generally have more nightmares than men
Various studies show that women are more prone to worrying when sleeping and also experience more nightmares. However, men tend to dream more about things such as weapons, whereas women don’t as much.
3. Dreams in the REM sleep are more vivid
We dream both in our REM phases and also in non-REM phases. The REM phase is when our eyes move rapidly but don’t deliver visual information to the brain. REM dreams tend to be more vivid and we can remember them more easily.
4. Most people dream in colour
Even though the majority of us dream in colour, some people dream in black and white. Although, most of our dreams occur in soft pastel colours.
5. Many dreams are universal
Even though no two dreams are the same, many people experience common themes in their dreams. You probably have dreamt about being frozen and not able to move, flying or being naked in public before.
Tip: Keep a dream journal
If you want to remember your dreams more clearly, taking notes of them in a journal as soon as you wake up will help you recall them. By jotting your dreams down, you will find it easier to remember them. Dreams can also unlock our subconscious creativity. Who knows, you might have a great idea whilst you dream! Whether interpreting your dreams is your thing or not, a dream journal will make for an interesting collection to look back on in the future!