Dreams

Dreams. We all have them, but we don’t always understand why or what they mean. Our dreams are shrouded in mystery. Remembering them can feel like a gamble, but why? Why does everything seem slower in dreams? Why do people we’ve never met always seem to appear in them? None of these questions have perfect answers, but this article should make you more aware of what dreaming really is. 

Behavioral sleep expert Michelle Drerup, PsyD, explains one of the prevailing theories of dreaming—the “rehearsal” theory. This theory says the brain consolidates and analyzes memories, using dreams as a way to rehearse for what we could come across during the day. Jason Wright, 12 said, “I 100 percent think that people have dreams due to what has happened to them in the day or just their life in general. I think that a lot of people have dreams about what they are hoping happens in their life or successes they are striving for.” 

Normally, we dream during a period called REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. During REM sleep cycles, our brains are almost as active as when we’re awake, which can account for why dreams feel so real—or why we wake up feeling tired. The brainstem generates REM sleep activity, while the forebrain is responsible for the act of dreaming itself. If either of these regions is injured, REM sleep or dreaming could stop happening. The strangeness of dreams is partly due to the heightened levels of dopamine and acetylcholine, which contribute to the odd, surreal quality of our dreams.

Now onto the more fun stuff: what do dreams mean? We’ve all had dreams of falling, losing teeth, or waking up wondering “why did that happen”? 

Falling dreams occur when someone has a fear of failure in any part of their life, whether in relationships, work, friendships, or school. This fear of failure is exacerbated by the brain using falling as a way of representing losing control and being in precarious or mentally distressing situations. 

Dreams of being naked in public, unsurprisingly, mean that you're afraid of revealing your imperfections or true self. These dreams are common among more insecure people. 

Being chased is another common theme and its meaning can vary. If you’re being chased by the opposite sex, it means you’re afraid of love or past relationships. If it’s an animal, the dream could be a sign of anger or passion in your life that you are repressing. Overall it is about repressing feelings or “running” away from your feelings. 

Finally, dreams of a loved one dying are often associated with fear of losing time or time passing. It is also known as our brain mourning or grieving over time itself and not just stress over the fact it is happening. 

There are many other types of dreams, each with their own meaning. All dreams are our brain trying to tell us something about our real lives through literal representations of feelings we have in our lives. 

Our brains are machines that constantly learn. And dreams are one of its biggest studying tools to understand the information being presented to it during the day. Anything we dream about has meaning, even if it seems to be the wildest thing ever. The more we learn about dreams the less wild they get and the more understanding we have of how they work will continue to grow every day.