Dreaming is wonderful. Whether it’s daydreaming or dreaming when you’re lying in bed, it’s nice to escape from ‘real’ life for a while. At least that’s what you thought… Are our dreams a reflection of our daily lives? Or are they really a hoax, as most people call it.
Also read: Can’t you ever put your phone away before going to sleep? This is how you get rid of it
Processing dreams
Have you ever woken up in the morning after a dream that sounds very similar to something you experienced the day before? Probably. Over the years, a lot of research has been done into the reason why we dream. Is it random? Or do we really process this the day(s) before?
Of course, scientists cannot say with one hundred percent certainty, but one of the main reasons why we dream is indeed the processing of emotions, situations and events. Everything you experience every day must of course be processed, both physically and mentally. So during your sleep is the best time to do that. Physically, because you lie comfortably in bed doing nothing, and mentally, because your brain receives far fewer stimuli and therefore has enough space to process everything.
Deal with emotions better
You dream in your REM sleep and it is therefore very important that you have enough hours of this sleep phase every night. That is good for processing, but also for how you get out of bed the next time. The more REM sleep you get, the better you can process things. This in turn leads to better dealing with emotions and certain (heavy) events. On average, you have about four to five REM sleep periods per night – which also means you have four to five dream episodes.
Remembering dreams
One person can retell his or her dreams every day, while another person can no longer remember anything at all about what he or she dreamed. You may only remember snippets or pieces just before you wake up. The reason for this is not completely known, but would you like to try to remember your dream better? Then lie in the same position as when you woke up that morning, and there is a good chance that you will suddenly be able to remember your dream again.
