Table of Contents
Abstract
This research aims at looking at the world of dreams. Dreams are a natural occurrence in the minds of human beings from as early as the infancy. These activities in the brain go on for the entire lives of human beings. Dreams are a source of many effects in the lives of the dreamer with the effects ranging from positive effects to negative ones.
The objective of this paper is the exploration of the world of dreams observing the characteristics and reasons behind the experiences of dreams. We have also considered the effects of dreams as well as the benefits associated with the dreams. The research involved the use of books, journals and the internet as a source of information. The results obtained from this research describe a dream as an experience that is beyond the control of the dreamer with mixed results obtained from different dreams.
Introduction
A dream is a detailed flow of ideas and activities represented by clear pictures in the brains of a person when the person is asleep. These activities of the brain occur without the consent of the person approximately after between half-an-hour after sleeping and an hour and a half. Dreams occur in the details that appear clearly to the dreamer, although the ability to remember the dream depends on the individual. Dreams vary with the set of emotions in the dream with others having a happy emotion while others are of a sad nature, not to mention the terrifying ones that leave the dreamer scared.
The real causes of dreams are not clear, but with the keen interest in neurology; the study of dreams scientifically, scientists are working round the clock to establish the main reasons behind the occurrence of dreams. The causes of dreams listed in most books are theoretical, but all try to explain the real reason behind the occurrence of dreams. Some try to establish a connection between the daily thoughts of a person by saying that dreams mostly reflect the things a person thinks about most. These things tend to maintain a record in the subconscious part of the mind, which later reflect as dreams at night (Frohnmayer & Donaldson, 2013).
However, in instances where the dreams are not in line with the daily activities shows that there are other triggers to the dreams in a person. Dreams vary in length ranging half an hour to as short as less than half a minute. The frequency of dreams varies from one person to another with others having as low as three dreams per night and others going for as many as seven in number. It is not however not possible to establish the connections between the frequency of dreams with characteristics of an individual person.
According to Linn (2009), the Chinese described the dreams as the roaming of the soul when the body is resting in sleep. This explanation aimed at explaining the origin of dreams and interpreting them. The other explanation was that dreams explained the things that were mostly in the mind of the dreamer. Through dreams, the wishes of the person came out which the person has not accomplished at the time. In other cultures, the people from those countries used the dreams to predict the occurrences of the future to avert danger as in the case of the Egyptians.
Rapid Eye Movements
Scientists associate the occurrence of dreams to be after the period before a person falls asleep, that is commonly referred to as the rapid eye movement. This period came into the limelight as the works of Nathaniel Kleitman and one of his students in the mid twentieth century. According to Kryger, Roth, and Dement (2011), this movement is the main reason behind the formation of dreams. In their explanations, the movements commence less than an hour after an individual goes to sleep and lasts to the time the person falls in the subconscious state. During this period of rapid eye movement, the normal energy in the muscles is minimal to make sure that the individual does not react physically to the events of the dream. This explains the hardships experienced by a dreamer in performing certain activities in the dream such as running.
If the person had the normal energy experienced during the day in the dreams, there is a high possibility that a person would be moving in the course of the dream or be in a position of causing bodily harm to the people around them in his sleep. This movement is in the brains fully although the brain does not have the power to control the occurrence.
The movement frequents the young kids more than the older ones. According to Silber et al (2007), in a newborn baby, the rapid eye movements take almost the whole night with the percentage being as high as eighty percent, but the movement is greatly reduced in adults with as low as twenty percent on average. Adults tend to dream about events or activities related to their lives, however, this begins in their lives at the age of three years. Below that age, a child dreams of other non related things.
Characteristic of dreams
According to Cvetkovic and Cosic (2011), the occurrence of dreams of an individual is beyond his control. This means that a person does not have the ability to choose whether to dream or not to dream. Due to this characteristic, some of the dreams do not have the free flow of activities. Some dreams occur in a manner that leaves the dreamer confused. This is because the sequence of events in the dream does not follow a certain path that is clear to the dreamer.
For example, a person might have multiple dreams in a single night none of which relate to each other. In such examples, the dreamer does not understand the meanings of those dreams since they are contradictory. If the dreamer had the opportunity of choosing what to dream, all the events of the dreams would flow and all the characters of the dreams would be familiar to the dreamer. This is however not the case since the dream is beyond the control of the dreamer.
The occurrence of dreams leaves the dreamer in various feelings. Some dreams contain activities that excite the feelings of the dreamer. This happens in instances where the dreamer dreams of things that they are fond of doing. This ranges from certain games in the company in the dream. When a person dreams being in a company of the people he or she likes and doing something that they like, the person wakes up a happy fellow and in some instances wishing that the dream lasted forever.
Other people dream receiving good news of getting something, they really want for example a car or a job. In the same capacity, other dreams contain sad scenarios that leave the dreamer in bad moods whey he or she wakes up. The range of emotions that a dream possesses shows the magnitude to which these dreams are not predictable. Sad dreams sometimes leave the dreamer frightened by the occurrences of the dream since in some cases the situations are not of a pleasant nature (Clow & McNamara, 2010).
Some dreams occur and by the time a person, wakes up the memories of the dream are not in the mind. This is because the dream is not easy to remember. In some cases, it takes some amount of time to recall the events of a dream that happened sometime back. Remembering events of a dream can be triggered by a certain activity in the course of time.
This occurs mostly when the event in the dream relates to the event on the ground. Some dreams are however easy to recall with the events being fresh in the mind. According to Abadie (2003), this is possible, mostly due to the extreme nature of the events in the dream. Events of extreme emotions are easy to remember while those that do not contain huge emotional attachments are not. The number of dreams might also influence the memories of the dream. This occurs mostly when a person dreams a big number of dreams that vary in content. In such cases, a person recalls some of the dreams but forgets other.
Dreams contain a limiting factor that the dreamer has never experienced in the normal days. Some of the activities performed in the normal days become so hard to make them in the dreams. For example, in the real world, the dreamer might be a very good swimmer. However, in the dream, events related to swimming are hard to accomplish with the same ease compared to the normal days.
A person struggles too much to accomplish those tasks. In running, for example, a person uses a lot of effort, but the speed with which the person is running is not the expected speed from the effort applied. Mostly after such dreams, a person finds the beddings in a disorganized manner implying that the person was actually moving the body parts in the course of the dream. That partially explains the difficulties experienced in the dreams.
In some instances, a dream might occur and never to reoccur again. Weather memorable or not, it is easy to remember a dream that occurs multiple times. In other cases, a dream might appear in a number of times with the same sequence of events as in the previous time. These types of dreams tend to address the needs of a person that mostly occupy his mind.
Through the constant thinking of a certain process or things that a person wishes to have, the subconscious part of the brain records that thing or process and during a relaxing moment the brain analyses the events of the day and the reference of the thoughts results in the appearance of the dream over and over again. As much as the occurrence of a dream might establish the connection between the dream and the life of the individual, other dreams are strange and no amount of scrutiny can establish the reason behind the dream. Such dreams are hard to explain and most people assume that they are referring to a future that the dreamer is not familiar with yet (Junget al, 2008).
Reasons behind dreams
Some of the dreams occur due to spiritual reasons. From the ancient times in the biblical times, people believed that the occurrence of dreams was to guide them and let them know the expectations that the creators expected from them. In some instances, the dreams are a way of showing the future.
Some people have the spiritual ability to interpret dreams and through the interpretation be in a position to make the future to be of much more benefit to them. This is possible through using the events of the dream to know how to spend the time. For example, spiritual leaders in the past would avoid wars that through dreams they are sure they would lose. The spiritual interpretation of dreams will help avoid unfortunate events in the future by increasing the spiritual understanding of the events in the dreams.
Dreams may occur to fulfill the desires of the dreamer. The desires are for not only owning objects or possessions, but also having the ability to solve situations that make the life of the dreamer less pleasant. In some cases, a dreamer may live in a country where there is constant danger and the experiences of war. Such a person will tend to dream of a peaceful country since the dreams are in line with the wishes of the person.
Other people desire to own vehicles and the possibility of the people dreaming of being in the possession of a car is high. This shows that people dream because of the desires of their hearts. Other dreams show something that the dreamer is looking forward to. This may range from big events such as wedding days or graduation days. A few days before the event, the person might experience dreams related to the big days they are looking forward into having.
A person would dream being in the event with the whole event looking so real. This shows that the trigger of the dream is the great anticipation of the great day ahead. This might be because most of the activities done in those days are in the preparation of the day that is of great importance to the dreamer. Such a dream is because of the anticipation.
Dreams may also occur to help a person accept a certain event in their lives that is not pleasant. In a case where a person has lost a close friend or relative, dreams during that time tend to focus on the memories that the dreamer had with the departed person. These memories are in most cases the good memories and the main reasons behind the memories are to give the dreamer a positive side of the event by appreciating the good moments they had before the death. The reason behind the death in this case is to help in accepting the things sad events.
Some dreams give the dreamer the chance to explore their full potential. A person may not be confident enough in taking a certain approach in life, but the occurrence of a dream to the person gives the person an insight of the ability to go on with the idea. In the dream, the person accomplishes the plans they intend to partake in real life and this acts as a source of motivation to the person. Dreams happen to analyze the events of the day. The contents of the dream might be the same as the events of the day with a high percentage of similarity. For example, a student might tend to dream of the things that the lectures taught in class. The brain may be visiting the events of the day to understand better or to reflect on the things that occurred on that day.
Dreams tend to clean up the mind in preparation for the next day. Instead of the person waking up with the tired mind from the previous day’s activities, the dreams tend to freshen up the mind clearing all the concerns of the day and anticipating the events of the following day. The events happening in the background of the place where the person is sleeping also influence the dreams.
The source of the dream results from the stimuli in the room. For example, a person may connect the music playing in the background when he is asleep in the dream that the person will dream. Without the song, the dream would be different meaning that the source of the dream is the song playing in the background. Sources of dreams therefore vary from various individuals to the others with different circumstances giving the rise of different dreams (Barcaro, 2010).
Effects of Dreams
Dreams shorten the night. When a person dreams a wonderful dream, one with pleasing events, the night seems shorter than usual and the person does not wish to wake up from the dream. Such dreams seem to reflect on the accomplishment of the desires of the heart of the dreamer. Such nights tend to take a shorter duration since the dreamer wishes that the conditions he or she is experiencing would go on a while longer.
On the contrary, scary dreams tend to lengthen the night. This is because the dreamer may wake up during the course of the night in a bid to avoid certain scenes in the dream that are not pleasant to him. The acts of waking up in the middle of the night make the dreamer see as if the night is longer than usual since there is time wastage before the person falls asleep again. Dreams influence the duration of the night depending on how the dreamer relates to the events occurring in the dream.
Dreams affect the moods of the person in the following morning. People tend to wake up in the morning bearing the emotions related to the dream from the previous night. When a dream is pleasant, a person wakes up jovial and in a pleasant mood. Such a person tends to have high spirits and throughout the day, the person experiences a good mood.
A bad dream also gives the dreamer a bad day according to how bad the dream was. A disturbing dream results in a morning filled with many thoughts some of which leave a person in a disturbing mood and a grumpy feeling. It is however possible for a dream not to influence the moods of the person in the morning after. This does not also mean that all the moods of people in the morning are because of the dreams from the previous night.
Dreams give rise to phobia in some people. In kids mostly, bad dreams make a child grow up in fear of the dark. This is because, when a child experiences a bad dream, they get scared only to wake up and experience a room covered by dark all over. They therefore grow up associating the bad dreams to the dark in the rooms.
Through these experiences, people fear dark places and most of them sleep in rooms that have a source of light. Through this dreams, the person develops a fear that would not have developed without the dreams. The effects of the dreams vary from people with some having positive experiences and others having bad effects. Overcoming these effects is possible with time, but for some people the effects go on for a long time in their lives (Clow & McNamara, 2010).
Benefits of Dreams
Dreams work as a source of motivation to the dreamer. When a person is working hard; with the aim of achieving a certain goal, dreaming of enjoying the benefits of the achievement acts as a source of renewed strength. This strength enables the person to work even harder to live the life the person saw in the dream.
The dream in this case acts as the new source of motivation, giving the person the energy to carry on with the struggle. Dreams give a relaxing mood to the body. After a long and tiring day, it is very simple to fall asleep within the shortest time possible. A dream with a good and encouraging nature helps the body to relax and clear the mind. Waking up with a clear mind helps in approaching the new day with renewed vigor. A relaxed mind not only keeps the owner at peace, but the productivity in his daily chores improves.
In some cases, dreams provide the dreamer with a solution to the problem they are going through. In the musical career for example, musicians have explained the source of their musical lyrics as originating from the dreams they had. An idea comes to a person in the form of a dream and the person materializes the idea coming up with words that form a song.
The dream acts as a guiding tool in directing the person to the destiny of the song. Dreams sometimes give the dreamer an insight of the lives they want to lead, which is a helping hand in making decisions regarding the choices a person may wish to make in life. Accessing the subconscious part of the brain helps in realizing the exact thing that dominates the mind of an individual. This creates a self-realization mechanism through the process of remembering the dream and going deeper to find the meaning of the dream.
Other dreams are just for fun. They take you to places that you have never been and experience a wonderful time there. From such dreams, one is in a position to have fun while sleeping. People who dream appear happier than those who do not dream. This shows that dreams come with a sense of excitement that becomes a source of enjoyment. Such dreams relieve the levels of stress on the dreamer making the life of the dreamer more interesting and enjoyable. Such are the health benefits of dreams, which help prevent situations that are treatable of preventable through the application of medical procedures.
Conclusions
Dreams appear from the subconscious parts of the mind of an individual that are dependent upon the wishes of the dreamer. A person may dream more than one dream per night with a single dream lasting for a period of roughly twenty minutes. This happens after an individual sleeps after an estimate of thirty minutes to one hour. Before sleeping, a person spends time in something known as the Rapid Eye Movement (Hobson, 2009). This is the time after a person gets into bed and the time the person falls asleep and is in a position to dream.
The amount of time varies from one species to another with the humans taking thirty minutes. Although the amount of time varies from one person to another depending on the kind of lives they lead and the environmental factors. Dreams differ in the content and the emotional attachment to them. As much as some dreams are stressful, other dreams are quite happy which leave the dreamer happy and in high moods. In the world of dreams, many effects come up from the dreams with good dreams having positive benefits while the bad dreams have negative effects that may cause problems in the lives of the individual.
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