Sleeping Girl: Pexels Sleep is so important for humanity that a holiday was established for it - World Sleep Day. In a dream, the German chemist August Kekule saw the formula of benzene, Mendeleev saw the periodic table, Salvador Dali and Nicholas Roerich drew the subjects of paintings from dreams. Why do people have dreams and what do these visions mean? Esotericism and oneirology (the science of sleep) have the answers.
Why does a person sleep
First, let's figure out why we need sleep at all.
Sleep is a natural state of the body that includes several cycles. During this period, brain activity is reduced, as is the reaction to external stimuli.
For a long time, the mechanism of the sleep state and the reason for dreaming were under a veil of secrecy, and scientists from different times made assumptions based on their conjectures. Modern technologies have made it possible to study the human brain during sleep, and people have received answers, although only to some questions.
Recommendations for improving sleep quality
To improve the quality of your sleep and achieve complete relaxation, pay attention to the following recommendations from experts:
- Try to fall asleep before midnight.
- Maintain a routine by going to bed at approximately the same time every day.
- Ensure absolute darkness and silence in the bedroom.
- Make sure there is enough oxygen by ventilating the room in advance. During the warm season, it is recommended to sleep with the windows open.
- A few hours before going to bed, avoid increased physical and psycho-emotional stress.
Improving the quality of sleep for good rest without dreams
If these recommendations do not have the desired effect, then you should seek advice from a specialist, especially if you have symptoms such as increased fatigue, sleepiness during the day, causeless anxiety and irritability.
People who are endowed with a good imagination and lead an active lifestyle can dream often, and this is considered the norm. However, if dreams come every night, then you should pay attention to the state of the central nervous system.
More interesting information on the topic in the video:
What happens if you don't sleep
People who are constantly lacking sleep, at a minimum, have a weakened immune system, are more prone to cardiovascular diseases and often have metabolic problems.
Lack of sleep for more than 2 days is fraught not only with terrible health, but also with clouding of consciousness, for example, in the form of hallucinations.
A week without sleep means almost guaranteed hallucinations (visual and auditory), paranoia, lack of coherent speech, a significant decrease in thought processes and severe wear and tear on all body systems.
If you don’t sleep for 10 days or more, you can easily lose your mind and die.
Do I need to see a doctor?
It is difficult to say unequivocally that your case requires the help of a specialist. If advice does not help you, and the nightmares continue, this is a reason to consult a doctor. If you can guess the reasons for the violation, then you can identify a specialist yourself. If you are experiencing daily stress, suspect depression, or are suffering from traumatic memories, you most likely need the help of a psychologist. But first you should contact a good therapist, who will prescribe tests and accurately refer you to the right specialist.
What happens to the body during sleep
The sleep state is known to include 4-5 cycles. Each cycle consists of certain stages that differ in brain activity. We invite you to familiarize yourself with them in more detail.
slow sleep
- Stage 1 – drowsiness . The body is preparing to enter deep sleep. During this short period, consciousness “floats” and uncontrollable images appear.
- Stage 2 – shallow (light) sleep . Muscles relax, temperature and pulse decrease, metabolism slows down. However, at this stage the perception is heightened and the person can be easily awakened, for example, by calling his name.
- Stage 3 - slow sleep . This is a short period when a person goes into full-fledged deep sleep, and brain activity gradually decreases.
- Stage 4 – deep slow-wave sleep. At this stage, the person is fast asleep, and it is very difficult to wake him up. We have dreams during this period, but usually they are not remembered, and it is during deep sleep that we can talk or walk in our sleep.
During the stages of slow-wave sleep, new cells appear, tissues are restored, and energy is accumulated for the next day.
By the way, deep sleep usually lasts longer if you had increased physical activity during the day.
REM sleep
There is a short return to stage 2, after which the REM sleep phase begins. It is named so because of the increase in brain activity, close to a state of wakefulness, but all muscles are as relaxed as possible and do not move. There is only rapid eye movement, increased temperature, increased heart rate and uneven breathing.
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It is during the period of REM sleep that a person sees vivid dreams, some of which can be recalled in the morning. Each stage replaces each other several times, while their duration is uneven, and REM sleep gradually takes more and more time.
Classification of dreams and their meanings
In the book “The Language of Dreams. Bridge to the Unknown" author Rita Lev describes her many years of research into dreams, techniques and methods of working with them. The author recommends preparing for a sleep analysis in advance.
How to understand your dream
A dream is such a vague picture that often a person cannot remember the details of even the most vivid plot after waking up. To exclude this and be able to interpret your dreams, you need to use the following rules:
- Please note that a person always dreams about himself, and all the people from it must be correctly associated with the personality of the sleeper.
- Before going to bed, place a pen and a piece of paper at the head of your bed.
- Prepare yourself in advance to memorize the plot, and go to sleep with this thought.
- When you wake up in the morning, write down everything you remember, even if fragments of thoughts seem incomprehensible and ridiculous. Try to colorfully describe and name everything that you dreamed at night.
- Identify the most vivid images and feelings that come to mind. Write them down.
Now it’s time to figure out what the subconscious “whispered” under the cover of darkness.
Why do you have dreams?
In ancient times, dreams were perceived as encrypted messages from the other world, containing information regarding a person’s future. “Knowledgeable” people (priests, sorcerers, etc.) helped decipher these messages. Over time, dream books appeared, which are still popular today.
However, with the development of psychology and physiology, new views on this phenomenon began to appear, reflected in several theories.
Theory 1: Dreams are images of human desires
The famous psychotherapist Sigmund Freud suggested that in dreams a person sees repressed desires and hidden aspirations . The subconscious seems to communicate with us through dreams. Sometimes this is an exact image, and sometimes it is veiled in some symbols (images).
Freud believed that discussing dreams with a psychotherapist can help resolve a person's internal psychological problems. He even wrote a book, The Interpretation of Dreams, where he talks about typical symbols in dreams that can have similar meanings for different people.
According to Freud, dreams have hidden meanings
Theory 2: Features of the brain
But the eminent psychiatrist John Hobson, on the contrary, said that dreams do not carry any meaning. He studied exactly how dreams arise from a physiological point of view. It turned out that random signals from the brain stem lead to a vision of a plausible reality.
The brain tries to somehow interpret random impulses and puts them into certain plots . He often takes memories as a basis.
Interesting fact! It has been experimentally proven that mammals such as cats and dogs also experience dreams.
Theory 3: Constant activation
Psychiatrist Zhang Jie agrees that nerve impulses lead to dreams. But in her opinion, they are not accidental.
During sleep, the brain systematizes memories, and at the moment they move from short-term memory to long-term memory, they can be partially activated, and we see dreams .
Dreaming may be a consequence of the brain working at night
Theory 4: Threat Modeling
This is a rather unusual explanation for why we dream. It is believed that this ability was inherited by man from ancient ancestors, who, with the help of dreams, could imitate potentially dangerous situations.
In fact, dreams are a protective biological mechanism that allows you to “train” to survive threats . Modern man does not have such a dangerous life as his ancestors, so it is believed that the functions of dreams have changed a little. Hence the next theory.
There was a period when it was believed that sleep was a painful condition arising from accumulated poisons in the human body.
Theory 5: Natural selection of thoughts
Psychologist Mark Blancher suggests that the situations the brain simulates during sleep allow it to choose the best emotional responses . He remembers them and uses them in real life.
That is, in this case, we also train, but taking into account what most often happens in our modern life.
Interestingly, a special type of sleep is lucid dreaming , when a person understands that he is dreaming and sometimes even controls the dream. Some researchers are convinced that anyone can master this with proper training.
Be sure to watch the video with interesting information about dreams :
Psychological connotation of a dream
Psychologists confirm the reflection of the state of a person’s psyche through sleep. Please note that if happiness, love, peace and confidence in the future are present in your life scenario, then every night you have dreams of a light nature, without disturbing fuss and negativity. Simplicity extends to all times of the day.
USEFUL INFORMATION: Human sleep phases by time: stages and cycles of human sleep
When troubles visit your home and your brain is constantly looking for ways out of complicated situations, experiences continue in dreams, escalating the situation, destabilizing your mental balance. The emotional background, heating up, increases anxiety. Fears and phobias appear, displayed in images of different shapes and shades.
Everyone dreams. Occurring events, thoughts and dreams are summarized and reflected in dreams.
We can say that a dream is reality and internal experiences, since everything is mixed in them: past, present and future. Inexplicable visions, incomprehensible situations over time become common occurrences and part of life.
They reflect created problems, unrealized dreams, secret desires. A person seeking to unravel dreams can recognize certain signs sent by the subconscious, stop troubles, and realize deep changes. Is it better to predict or wait? The choice is yours.
No dreams
Night dreams are the strongest and most beneficial. If you stop having dreams, it’s worth analyzing your mental state. If there is constant stress or imbalance of character, this indicates a possible disorder. Think about it and try to change your attitude towards current events.
Have you stopped having dreams, and do you feel unusual about it? Sometimes fatigue or the small amount of time allotted for rest becomes the reason for their absence. To help you dream about something, create silence and exclude loud sounds. Then the stories of nightly adventures will not cease to appear and will delight you with their brightness and uniqueness.
Many people wonder why they rarely dream. Or they ask: “What should I do if what I dreamed began to be immediately forgotten?” You need to learn to separate night and day, leaving worries and thoughts for the morning. Then everyone who presses their head to the pillow will see a calm and colorful night story. And he will remember her.
