La-La Land (Dreams)

I dreamt off and on one night about writing a blog and, mostly, about my black beads. The necklace is long, heavy, and shiny with two strands of different types of beads. It’s pretty nice, but why dream about them – repeatedly? They rather “haunted” my dreams. (Lucid dream: aware you are dreaming.) Of course, I had an idea to write about them somewhere in the night, but not having written it down, I can’t remember it – which is another thing about dreams. We seldom remember much about them (only 5%) and if we write the details down right away, we can retain some of it, but the rest will be lost.

Another time, I dreamt I picked something up off my bedside table, but it was exactly as I left it. Did I actually pick it up? Or just in my dreams? I’ve had other dreams when for a second (later in the day fully awake) I think I’ve forgotten something important regarding a person who I talked to – and then I think, wait a minute! Was that real or did I dream it? Some dreams are that real (vivid dream).  

Dreams. So weird. Somewhere I read that the brain needs them to function properly, although I didn’t come across that while researching today. Most of what I read said we may never know why we dream or if there is significance in them. Most studies have shown dreams are in a first-person perspective, they are voluntary, may be illogical or incoherent, include other people who interact with the dreamer, incite strong emotions, and that our daily life is merged with them. Most people dream in color while some people (approx. 12%) dream in black and white. It is believed dreams are strange because the part of the brain responsible for making sense of things shuts down when we are dreaming. And 18-38% of people experience premonition dreaming. (Yup, one of my daughters has proven it.) Specialists continue to debate dreams. Some of what they believe is that dreams build memory, may help us process emotion, could help the brain “clean up” stored information, or they could just be “instant replays” or valueless by-products. (We won’t tell this to the people who dream about flying, falling, being chased, or can’t find a bathroom. I expect they believe there is something to those repetitive dreams.) Whether there is a deep meaning to our dreams or not, they are harmless unless they are affecting our sleep – like nightmares. Because nightmares tend to wake us up, they can create a negative cycle of poor sleep, a fear of sleep, or worse.

Some think most dreams have significance, and some see them as not worth our attention. What do you think? Why did I dream about my black beads? I could have dreamt about my turquoise or white beads. Had I worn them recently? Why beads at all? Was my brain telling me that I needed a blog that week and it was becoming a weight around my neck (the black beaded necklace is heavy)? Next time you dream about something, think it through. Does it have a message for you? What will you do with that message? Or will you chuck it aside for real life; because ultimately that's where we live. Smile. There are good things in our lives every day that don't depend on what we dream about.

Sleepfoundation.org; Psychologyorg.com