Dreams

Dreams are known as images or stories that the mind creates at any time during the period of sleep, but most realistic dreams occur during deep sleep when the brain is at its peak activity, where this period is known as rapid eye movement ( REM), which are more concentrated in the second half of the night.

Sleep stages

1. Feeling sleepy

The body feels sleepy due to the accumulation of natural adenosine in it during daylight hours, which leads to a decrease in blood pressure, slowed pulse and breathing, and relaxation of muscles throughout the body.

1. Rapid eye movement stage

During sleep, the brain moves through five different stages, including the rapid eye movement phase, which occurs after about ninety minutes of sleep, and continues for ten minutes or more, since this phase repeats several times during the night and increases gradually each time, and during this phase, the brain passes And the body has several changes including; Increase in the speed of eye movement, rapid and irregular breathing, increased blood pressure, heart rate, and a change in body temperature and the brain is at its peak activity as if the person was awake, and temporary paralysis of the limbs and face occurs.

How dreams occur

During the REM phase, the entire brain becomes at its fullest, and at this stage, it is controlled by a retinal activation system that passes in circuits from the brainstem to the thalamus and then to the cortex. The limbic system or the limbic system in the middle of the brain is responsible for dealing with emotions in general during dreams, and this system includes the amygdala, usually associated with the emotions of fear, which are active during dreams.

The cerebral cortex is responsible for a dream content. Such as seeing people, the experience of flying, etc., and the visual cortex in the back of the brain is active, while parts of the frontal lobe are less active, and this explains the inability of people during dreams to distinguish and to accept the events of dreams as if they were real.

Then the brain interprets and analyzes these activities and creates meaning for the random signals from which the dream is produced.

Seekers of dreams

Some researchers believe that dreams are non-sensory activities without a goal or meaning that the brain conducts during the period of sleep, while others believe that they are necessary and important for the health of the body, mind, and emotion, and studies have shown that people who do not enter the stage of rapid eye movement, suffer from anxiety and depression And stress, difficulty concentrating, weight gain, hallucinations, and many researchers indicate that dreams help to solve problems, process emotions and merge memories, and Sigmund Freud believes that dreams are a window into the subconscious, a way to satisfy unacceptable desires in society.

Reasons for the occurrence of dreams

There are many theories about the causes of dreams, but the true cause of dreams is still unknown until now, as some believe that dreams are activities that have no meaning and no goal, and on the other hand others believe that they are necessary for mental, emotional, and physical health, as they believe. Scientists believe that dreams help a person solve his life problems, integrate memories, and emotions during sleep, and Freud believes that dreams are a means that help people to satisfy their unacceptable desires in the society around them, as it reflects their ideas and motives, and scientists found in one of the studies that not Having dreams causes increased stress, anxiety and depression, difficulty concentrating loss of coordination, and hallucinations.

Types of dreams

There are several types of dreams, including the following:

• Daydream :

They are classified as dreams with the level of awareness between sleep and wakefulness, and studies indicate that the period of daydreaming in the teeth ranges between 70 and 120 minutes per day, and this occurs during waking hours when the person's imagination is allowed to carry it away.

• False awakening dreams :

Have you ever thought that you woke up and went to your daily routine in the morning: getting up, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, and going to work, until you wake up "again" and realize that what just happened is just a dream.

• Nightmares :

A nightmare is a bad dream that causes waking up with feelings of anxiety and fear. Nightmares are a response to traumas in real life. This type of nightmare falls under a special category called post-traumatic stress nightmare. Nightmares may also occur because you may be ignorant or refuse to accept a specific life situation, and research shows that most people who have persistent nightmares have a family history of psychological problems, and these people have also contemplated suicide. Nightmares are an indication of the fear that needs recognition and confrontation, which is A subconscious way to wake up and take notice.

• Recurring dreams :

Recurring dreams are repeated with a slight difference in the story or topic each time, and these dreams may be positive, but most of the time they are nightmarish in content, and dreams may be repeated because the conflict - which is shown in the dream - is still unresolved or still ignored in Real life of the individual, once a solution to this problem is found, recurring dreams will cease.

• Epic dreams :

They are so huge, compelling that they cannot be ignored, and the details of these dreams are still with you for years, as if you had just dreamed of them last night, and these dreams make you feel that you knew something amazing about the world.

• Dreams Progressive :

Progressive dreams occur when you have a series of dreams that last throughout nights, so that the one you stopped at the night before continues, and these dreams are dreams that help solve problems and help you explore different options and different approaches to a problem.

• Prophetic dreams:

These are dreams that foretell what the future will look like.

• Sign dreams:

Sign dreams help you how to solve problems or make decisions in life.