19 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT DREAM
#1: Inventions inspired by dreams
Dreams are responsible for many of the greatest inventions of mankind. A few examples include:
- The idea for Google -Larry Page
- Alternating current generator -Tesla
- DNA’s double helix spiral form -James Watson
- The sewing machine -Elias Howe
- Periodic table -Dimitri Mendeleyev
…and many, many more.
Fact #2: Premonition dreams
There
are some astounding cases where people actually dreamt about things
which happened to them later, in the exact same ways they dreamed about.
You could say they got a glimpse of the future, or it might have just
been coincidence. The fact remains that this is some seriously
interesting and bizarre phenomena. Some of the most famous premonition
dreams include:
- Abraham Lincoln dreamt of His Assassination
- Many of the victims of 9/11 had dreams warning them about the catastrophe
- Mark Twain’s dream of his brother’s demise
- 19 verified precognitive dreams about the Titanic catastrophe
Fact #3: Sleep paralysis
Hell
is real and it is called sleep paralysis. It’s the stuff of true
nightmares. I’ve been a sleep paralysis sufferer as a kid and I can
attest to how truly horrible it is. Two characteristics of sleep
paralysis are the inability to move (hence paralysis) and a sense of an
extremely evil presence in the room with you. It doesn’t feel like a
dream, but 100% real. Studies show that during an attack, sleep
paralysis sufferers show an overwhelming amygdala activity. The amygdala
is responsible for the “fight or flight” instinct and the emotions of
fear, terror and anxiety. Enough said!
Fact #4: REM sleep disorder
In
the state of REM (rapid-eye-movement) stage of your sleep your body is
normally paralyzed. In rare cases, however, people act out their dreams.
These have resulted in broken arms, legs, broken furniture.
Fact #5: Sexual dreams
The
very scientifically-named “nocturnal penile tumescence” is a very well
documented phenomena. In laymen’s term it simply means that you get a
stiffy while you sleep. Actually, studies indicate that men get up to 20
erections per dream.
Fact #6: Unbelievable Sleepwalkers
Sleepwalking
is a very rare and potentially dangerous sleep disorder. It is an
extreme form of REM sleep disorder, and these people don’t just act out
their dreams, but go on real adventures at night.
Lee Hadwin is a
nurse by profession, but in his dreams he is an artist. Literally. He
“sleepdraws” gorgeous portraits, of which he has no recollection
afterwards. Strange sleepwalking “adventures” include:
- A woman having sex with strangers while sleepwalking
- A man who drove 22 miles and killed his cousin while sleepwalking (how is this even possible?)
- A sleepwalker who walked out of the window from the third floor, and barely survived
Fact #7: Dream drug
There
are actually people who like dreaming and dreams so much that they
never want to wake up. They want to continue on dreaming even during the
day, so they take an illegal and extremely potent hallucinogenic drug
called Dimethyltryptamine. It is actually only an isolated and synthetic
form of the chemical our brains produce naturally during dreaming.
Fact #9 Dream-catcher
The
dream-catcher is one of the most well-known Native American symbols. It
is a loose web or webs woven around a hoop and decorated with sacred
objects meant to protect against nightmares.
Fact #10: Increased brain activity
You would associate sleeping with peace and quiet, but actually our brains are more active during sleep than during the day.
Fact #11: Creativity and dreams
As
we mentioned before, dreams are responsible for inventions, great
artworks and are generally just incredibly interesting. They are also
“recharging” our creativity. In rare cases of REM disorder, people
actually don’t dream at all. These people suffer from significantly
decreased creativity and perform badly at tasks requiring creative
problem solving.
Fact #12: Pets dream too
Our animal
companions dream as well. Watch a dog or a cat sleep and you can see
that they are moving their paws and making noises like they were chasing
something. Go get ’em Buddy!
Fact #13: You always dream—you just don’t remember it
Many
people claim that they don’t dream at all, but that’s not true: we all
dream, but up to 60% of people don’t remember their dreams at all.
Fact #14: Blind people dream too
Blind
people who were not born blind see images in their dreams but people
who were born blind don’t see anything at all. They still dream, and
their dreams are just as intense and interesting, but they involve the
other senses beside sight.
Fact #15: In our dreams we only see faces that we already know
It
is proven that in dreams we can only see faces that we have seen in
real life before. So beware: that scary-looking old lady next to you on
the bus might as well be in your next nightmare.
Fact #16: Dreams tend to be negative
Surprisingly,
dreams are more often negative than positive. The three most widely
reported emotions felt during dreaming are anger, sadness and fear.
Fact #17: Multiple dreams per night
You
can have up to seven different dreams per night depending on how many
REM cycles you have. We only dream during the REM period of sleep, and
the average person dreams one to two hours every night.
Fact #18: Gender differences
Interestingly,
70% of all the characters in a man’s dream are other men, but women’s
dream contain an equal amount of women and men. Also men’s dreams
contain a lot more aggression. Both women and men dream about sexual
themes equally often.
Nice facts
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