Facts About Dreams

Dreams have been studied throughout history, and dream interpretation has tried to make sense of these nighttime visitations for as long as their have been people to dream. People who could interpret dreams, and those whose dreams were particularly vivid, where often thought to be imbued with divine powers, and they were given a special place in their societies.


Even today, dream interpretation remains a highly sought after art, and science is continuing to focus on dream interpretation as a way to deal with all kinds of anxieties and other underlying psychological issues.

There are some interesting facts about dreaming that you may not be aware of. These facts include:

One third of most people’s lives is spent asleep, and a good portion of that time is spent in dream sleep.

In the average lifetime, a person will have spent approximately six years in dream sleep, equivalent to more than 2,100 days of dreaming.

Dreams have existed as long as human beings. There are records of dreams going back over 4,000 years.

Dream interpretation has existed almost as long as dreaming, and Roman senators in the ancient world often engaged the services of dream interpreters before making important political and social decisions.

Every human being dreams. Even if you do not remember your dreams, you dream between four and seven times a night, every night.

Many animals dream as well. All mammals are thought to dream, and it is suspected that some lower animals dream as well. What they dream about, however, remains a mystery.

If people are prevented from dreaming, they suffer a variety of personality disorders and psychological problems. The exact function of dream sleep is still not known, but it is known that dreaming is an indispensable part of life.

The average person spends two hours per night sleeping, and has from four to seven dreams during that time.

Even blind people dream. The dreams of blind people who were previously sighted sometimes contain visual images, while the dreams of those who have been blind from birth do not. Vision is not the only component of a dream, however. Dreams also contain sounds, sights, smells and touch sensations.

Dreams are forgotten very quickly upon waking. It is estimated that 50% of the content of a dream is lost within five minutes of waking, and after 10 minutes as much as 90% of the dream can be forgotten.

The word dream is derived from a word in Middle English. This word, dreme, translates to “music” and “joy”. It is therefore apparent that dreams have long been looked at as a source of wonder and inspiration.

Men most often dream about other men, while women tend to dream about men and women equally.

Studies of brain wave activity have revealed greater activity during dreaming than during waking periods.

People who are awakened during dream sleep are able to recall their dreams vividly, while those who wait until morning to wake often are not.

Everyone, men and women, seem to experience sexual arousal during their dreams, regardless of whether or not the content of the dream is overtly sexual.

Smokers who are trying to quit often report greater intensity in their dreams.

Studies have shown that toddlers do not dream about themselves. In general, toddlers do not appear in their own dreams until they reach the age of three or four.

It is impossible to snore and dream at the same time.

Children commonly experience nightmares, and these nightmares usually begin by the age of three and last until the child is seven or eight years old.

More than 60% of people surveyed have reported experiencing Déjà vu in their dreams. Déjà vu dreams occur more frequently in women than in men.

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Some Common Dream Symbols

Dream interpreters, from the earliest Greek and Roman societies, to Sigmund Freud, to modern therapists and dream researchers, have long recognized the symbolic nature of dreams. Unlike the real world, in dreams things are often not as they appear. What appears to be a normal, everyday object in your dream world is often anything but ordinary.

Learning to recognize and interpret these objects, and learning about your dreams can be an exciting and fun exercise as well as a great learning experience. Since dreams and their symbols are often manifestations of real fears and anxieties, dreams can provide much help in working through these serious issues.

Let’s examine a few of the most common dream symbols and scenarios.

Dreaming Of School
Dreams of school, including taking tests, forgetting about a test, showing up to school without your books, and they like are among the most common of dreams for students and non students alike.

For those currently in school, dreams about school can be reflections of anxiety about grades, peers, social issues and other concerns. For those who are not in school, dreaming about school or taking a test is often a manifestation of anxiety about work, or even your personal life. Dreaming about school is often related to your latest lesson in life.

Dreaming Of A Car Or Other Vehicle
Dreams of driving in a car or other vehicle often symbolize a desire to escape. Cars and other forms of transportation represent freedom, and dreaming of driving, especially of driving fast, can symbolize a desire to get away from an unpleasant or undesirable task.

Dreams about car crashes or near misses can symbolize the feeling of being out of control. Such dreams often occur when you are feeling overwhelmed by pressure and unable to cope with the stresses of everyday life.

Dreams in which you are the passenger instead of he driver can also symbolize this sort of lack of control. This is especially true if the vehicle in the dream seems to be out of control. Such dreams may signal a need to relax and avoid additional stress.

Dreams About Houses
Dreams about a the house you grew up in can represent a desire to go back in time to when life is simpler. These dreams often occur at turning points in our lives, such as just after college graduation, prior to a marriage, or during or after a move.

Dreaming about an unfamiliar or threatening house can represent a fear of the unknown or an unwillingness to change. Again, these dreams often take place during times of upheaval or change, and they can be your unconscious mind’s reaction to such sudden change.

Dreams About Tornadoes
If you live near an area prone to tornadoes, or if you have been the victim of such a force, then a tornado can simply be a tornado. Unpleasant experiences can be relived through dreams, but most of the time the tornadoes we dream about are symbolic and not literal.

Most of the time, a tornado represents an emotional turmoil. People in such a state are often described as being whirlwinds of emotions, so a tornado is a fitting symbol of that state. Dreams of tornadoes often accompany sudden upheavals or changes in life, such as a sudden career change or cross country move. A dream about a tornado can indicate that you feel your life is spinning out of control. Those experiencing tornado centered dreams may want to take a step back, meditate and concentrate on the positive aspects of change.

Dreams About Telephones
Dreams about telephone often carry important messages that the dreamer needs to pay close attention to. When interpreting a dream about a telephone, it is important to pay attention to the details. For instance, did you initiate the call, or did someone call you? Was the voice on the other end of the telephone friendly or threatening? Can you hear the other party or is their static on the line? These details of a telephone dream can give you valuable insights into just what is being communicated.

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Fun Facts About Dreams and Their Meaning

Dreams have been around for at least as long as human beings, and dreams are universal, experienced by men and women, young and old, and people of all cultures and ethnicities. In some ways, dreams are a universal language, and there are certain themes, such as falling, flying, taking a test and finding yourself naked, that show up in dreams throughout the world. Dreams, it could be said, represent a kind of universal human language.

Dreams have been studied throughout history, and dream interpretation is an old art form indeed, dating back at least as far as 3000-4000 B.C. Even today, dream interpreters are highly sought out for their help untangling the sometimes puzzling world of dreams.

You may think you know everything there is to know about dreams and dream interpretation, but did you know that:

A third of our lives is spent in sleep, and a good amount of that time is spent in dreams.

The average person dreams from between four to seven times every night. That means that by the time you reach the age of 80, you will have had between 116,800 and 204,400 dreams.

That number may be even larger, since there is evidence that dreaming begins even before birth. No one deigns to know what unborn babies dream about, but there is evidence that they do dream.

In the average lifetime, a person will have spent approximately six years in dream sleep, equivalent to more than 2,100 days of dreaming.

There are records of dream interpretation, written on clay tablets, dating back more than 4,000 years.

Those who could interpret dreams were held in high regard in Roman and Greek societies, and their counsel was sought before making significant political and military decisions.

Everyone dreams every night, even though only a tiny fraction of those dreams are remembered upon waking.

Many animals dream as well, although no one has been able to ask them what they dream about.

People have to dream, though no one really knows why. What we do know is that preventing people from dreaming can cause irritability, mood changes and even hallucinations.

The average person spends about one quarter of his or her sleep time in dream sleep, and dreams an average of four to seven times during that time.

The average episode of dream sleep lasts about 10 to 15 minutes.

Dreams slip away very quickly upon waking. It is estimated that as much as half the dream’s content is forgotten within five minutes, and after only ten minutes up to 90% of the dream can be gone forever.

Men dream more about other men than about women, but women tend to dream about men and women equally.

The brain is actually more active, not less during dream sleep than during wakefulness.

People who are awakened during dream sleep are able to recall their dreams vividly and in great detail, while those who wake normally generally are not.

Both men and women experience sexual arousal during most dreams, regardless of whether the nature of the dream was sexual or not.

Smokers who are quitting often experience more intense dreams than either non smokers or current smokers.

Babies and toddlers dream just as adults do, but studies have revealed they do not dream about themselves. Toddlers generally do not appear in their own dreams until they are at least three or four years old.

It is not possible to dream and snore simultaneously.

Nightmares are a common trauma of childhood, with the first nightmares usually occurring by the age of three, and typically lasting at least until the child is seven or eight years old.

Many people report having experienced Déjà vu in their dreams, but dreams involving Déjà vu are more common in women than in men.

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Understanding Dream Imagery

Interpreting and analyzing dreams can be great fun for the adventurous dreamer. Simply keeping a dream journal for a few days can sometimes provide you with valuable insights into both the meaning of your dreams and unresolved issues in your waking life.

Dream interpretation can even be part of many people’s careers. In particular, therapists and psychologists often used dream analysis as part of their practices, especially when working with people who suffer nightmares as a result of trauma and stress.
This article, though will take a more lighthearted approach to dream interpretation. Let’s start with an examination of the colors often seen in dreams, and what those colors may symbolize.

Dreaming in color
Most dreamers report dreaming in color at least some of the time, and for many the colors encountered in the dream world are even more vivid than those encountered in the real world. A quick dream color quick is listed below.

Pink – Pink is generally understood to be a symbol of love, and dreaming of pink objects can symbolize a happy love affair.

Red – Red has several different meanings, including passion and anger. The actual meaning of red objects in a dream is dependent on its context within the dream.

Black – Black is often seen as a negative symbol. Black can symbolize the a void in the dreamer’s life, or a fear of death or aging.

Grey – Grey is a color midway between black and white, and therefore grey is often seen as a symbol of fear or of confusion. People struggling with an important decision will often dream in shades of grey.

White – White is generally understood to be a symbol of purity, but like black it can also symbolize a fear of aging or death. Dreaming of white objects can also indicate a fear of change or of new surroundings.

Green – Green can be a symbol of the yearning for spiritual or physical renewal, or for growth and healing.

Blue – Blue can often symbolize spirituality, but in some circumstances it can indicate sadness as well. To understand the true meaning, it is important to look at the context of the dream.

Yellow – Yellow is often seen as a symbol for calm, peace and hope. Yellow is the color of sunshine, and dreams of yellow are often sunny, happy dreams.

Dreams about numbers
Numerologists probably have their own interpretations of every possible number encountered in a dream, and every number can mean several different things depending on the context of the specific dreams. Many people put great stock in dreams about numbers, even going so far as to play those numbers in the lottery. While we can’t guarantee you a winning lottery ticket, we can provide some common explanations for dream numbers.

One – The number one can be a symbol for wholeness or unity. Dreaming of the number one could mean that you feel your life is complete.

Two – The number two can stand for balance, such as spiritual balance. Dreaming of the number two could indicate a life in balance.

Three – Three is one of the most commonly seen numbers in dreams, and it is often thought to symbolize spiritual fulfillment, harmony or unity.

Five – The number five can be an indication of an upcoming change. How the number is encountered in the dream could indicate whether the change in your real life is welcomed or feared.

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Understanding Dream Analysis and Interpretation

While it is true that no one knows the exact origins of dream analysis and interpretation, it is safe to assume that there has been some sort of dream analysis going on as long as their have been dreams. It is also a safe bet that dreams have been around as long as human beings have, and maybe even before.

For instance, some animals, such as cats and dogs, are known to dream, so it is probably true that our ancient ancestors had dream worlds of their own.

No one knows the content of these early dreams of course, or how early humans reacted to them. At first, humans probably reacted with fear to find themselves in unfamiliar territory, facing unfamiliar objects and places.

It is known that many ancient cultures saw no distinction between the world of dreams and the world of physical reality. In these cultures, the dream world was simply an extension of the physical world.

As a matter of fact, many cultures throughout history have placed a greater level of importance on the dream world than on the physical world. Dreams were often imbued with magic powers, and many people thought that dreams were a way for the soul to commune with the spirit world while the body got its much needed rest.

Dream interpretation may have been around for as long as dreams have been, but archeologists have discovered that dream interpretation is at least 5000-6000 years old. That is because clay tablets dating back to 3000-4000 B.C. have been found, and these tablets detail dreams and their interpretation.

Even in today’s world, dream analysis and interpretation continues to be a source of wonder, inspiration and even healing. Psychologists and therapists often use dream analysis as part of their careers, and dream interpretation has been used in modern times to treat victims of trauma and help them heal.

In the ancient world, dream interpretation has a long and storied history. Some of the earliest mentions of dreams and dream analysis occur in the Bible, and the Bible contains more than 700 references to dreams and their meanings.

The world of the ancient Greeks and Romans was also fascinated with dreams and what they meant. The Greeks and Romans often saw dreams as a way for their gods to connect with mortals, and the messages contained in dreams were carefully examined and taken very seriously.

Greek and Roman politicians and warriors employed dream interpreters to provide analysis of the dreams of soldiers, generals and politicians, and the results of this dream analysis was used to influence political and military decisions.

The ancient Egyptians also saw religious significance in dreams, and those who could interpret and analyze dreams, as well as those whose dreams were particularly vivid or significant, were given special status in Egyptian society.

Dream interpretation and analysis continues to enjoy a special place in the modern world. After Sigmund Freud revolutionized the world of dream analysis more than a century ago, a new era of dream interpretation was ushered in, and dream research continues to evolve and grow at a rapid pace.

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