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Brooke Royal

Professor Nadine Gordon

UWRT 1103

April 15, 2019

Dreams; Their Meaning and Purpose

Close your eyes and try to remember the last dream you had? Was your dream very vivid

and easy to recall, or have you already forgotten what had happened? Dreaming is a universal

phenomenon that all humans, and even certain types of living organisms, such as certain species

of animals, experience across the globe on a daily basis. Most of us often ponder on the same

questions; why do we dream, what do these dreams mean, and what is the science behind it?

Dreams can vary from different locations, having different people from our past or our

present make an appearance, and can also be either a sweet dream or a beautiful

nightmare, according to Beyonce. Exploring the mystery behind dreaming can be intriguing

when viewing studies that scientists have discovered and also considering the “old wives

tales” throughout different cultures across the globe.

What is Dreaming?

According to the American Sleep Association, dreaming can be defined and

explained as a succession of sensations, emotions, ideas, and images that occur

involuntarily in a person’s mind during certain stages of sleep. Dreams can vary from

short, forgettable visions to unforgettable, long-lasting fantasies. Most dreaming occurs

during a stage of sleep known as rapid eye movement, or REM abbreviated. During this
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stage of sleep, brain activity is at it’s highest which resembles being awake, which causes us

to see images and use our imagination (American Sleep Association). Although most of our

dreaming occurs during REM, “it can occur during other stages of sleep, but these tend to

be less vivid and less memorable” (American Sleep Association). Dreams cannot be

contained into one box considering there are different types of dreams and different way of

reaching full REM.

Types of Dreams

The most common types of dreams that people can recall at the top of their head is

simply a regular dream or a nightmare. One type of dreaming that some know about, but

most people are in the dark about is a sensation called lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming can

be defined as awareness while dreaming even though you are asleep. “This specific state of

consciousness is very interesting because skilled lucid dreamers can fly through the air,

practice complex activities, or cope with nightmare situations” (Schredl, Michael). Lucid

dreaming, like most things, take practice considering it takes breathing control and

concentration. Although lucid dreaming sounds like something you might want to try, it

also comes with potential problems. “Persons with lucid dreams reported poorer sleep

quality because they also experienced nightmares more often…possible effects on daytime

behavior, for example, tiredness (Schredl, Michael). So besides the fact that we can control

lucid dreaming, why do natural occurring dreams happen?

Why We Dream According To Science?

Most of us often what causes this natural occurrence in our lives, but don’t really

understand the science behind the reason. Dreaming all stems back to our brain and how
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our brain functions while we are sleeping. The brain being the most complex organ in the

human body, there is still such mystery behind it. Due to the brain being extremely

complex, there is no real answer as to why we dream, but there is a great deal of evidence

that has been found in several different theories that could possibly lead to a sole answer, or

that could be conjoined with another that is the real reason (Breus, Michael). According to

Psychology Today, “Theories of dreaming span scientific disciplines, from psychiatry and

psychology to neurobiology.” These theories include components such as your brain acting

and processing memories throughout your day, the brain responding to biochemical

changes and electric pulses, processing information from your past, present, and future,

and even can be an extension of waking consciousness (Breus, Michael). It is very likely

that all of these factors contribute in some shape or form to the product that our brain

displays to us while we are asleep. One famous theory is the Freudian Theory, and

according to the American Sleep Association, “most people generally endorse the Freudian

theory of dreams, and that is that dreams reveal hidden emotions and desires.” Although

these theories are just theories, there are also several studies and newfound evidence that

shows how certain factors can affect our dreaming and the way our brain processes while

we dream.
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Factors that Affect our Dreams

Many factors can come into play when we think about dreaming. Some widely

known factors include the obvious alcohol and drugs, sleeping conditions, and even

diseases. Although people know that these can affect not only their overall health, but the

way their brain operates, many don’t understand how it can truly affect your dreaming

even when your brain is “asleep”. Alcohol and drugs do affect dreaming by “disrupting the

normal, healthy sleep cycle and leads to fragmented sleep…consuming too close to bedtime

may alter and diminish time spent in REM sleep” (Breus, Michael). Certain sleeping

disorders, the most commonly known being insomnia, can also affect the way we dream.

Insomnia has been widely known to be linked with depression and anxiety which can also

have an effect. According to Psychology Today, “Depression and anxiety often are

accompanied bu nightmares…more likely to have stressful, disturbing, or frightening

dreams, sometimes in the form of recurring dreams”. A type of mental disorder that is

more common than most think, is post-traumatic stress order, or PTSD. Many who have

experienced a frightening situations such as soldiers who have fought in active combat or

individuals who have experienced sexual or emotional abuse, tend to develop this disorder.

Due to this disorder becoming more talked about and frequent within soldiers, scientists

have actually proposed the creation of a new sleeping disorder called Trauma Associated

Sleep Disorder (Breus, Michael). Now that we have discussed the science behind dreaming,

we need to explore cultural beliefs about dreams and their purposes.

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Folklore about Dreams

While most people in our society tend to rely on scientific explantation for

unexplainable phenomenons that occur in our world today, many cultures still have beliefs

about dreams and why they occur due to spirituality and other cultural beliefs. For

example, many early civilizations believed “dreams acted as a medium between our earthly

world and that of the gods (Linden, Sander van der) and “the Greeks and Romans were

convinced that dreams could predict the future” (Atherton, Sam). There are many pieces of

evidence that have allowed scientists and researchers to draw these conclusions from these

historical societies. Many artifacts have been found that support each societies belief on

dreaming such “As early as 5,000 B.C., Mesopotamians made a habit of recording their

dreams on clay tablets” (Handley, Andrew). Many legends have also been discovered that

were told as stories to each tribe or civilization based on each culture’s gods/goddesses or

nature. “In some legends, dreams are sent from the gods; in others, terrifying monsters

lurk at the fringes of consciousness, waiting for their chance to creep into the shadows of

our minds” (Handley, Andrew). One of the most widely known symbol/legend is the Native

American belief of dreamcatchers. Dreamcatchers are composed mostly of string woven in

certain patterns around a ring. Attached at the bottom typically are feathers and beads.

Dreamcatchers are placed above your bed where you lay your head at night and are

thought to catch the bad spirits that could cause nightmares. Unlike the beneficial story of

the dreamcatcher, there are also legends throughout other cultures such as Germanic

folklore, that have evil influence. In Germanic folklore there is a creature called a Mara, "a

mara is an evil spirit that sits on your chest while you sleep, constricting your air supply
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and turning your dreams into nightmares…the mara takes the form of a beautiful woman

at night. She visits men in their sleep to torture them and slowly suck away their life force

over the course of decades” (Handley, Andrew). Although there are many different legends,

symbols, and stories among many different cultures, each person has their own beliefs on

these different tales and if they mean anything to them.

Conclusion

Dreams are a very mysterious and complex part of our everyday lives that we tend

to overlook and not think too much about. There are many scientific theories and research

still happening today that is unfolding more information as to why we dream and the

meaning of our dreams. It is interesting to also consider folklore and legends from across

the globe from different civilizations and cultures and the spiritual meaning behind them.

Dreaming is so complex because of our brain being the most complex organ in the human
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body. Although there is no set reason as to why we dream, it is a very riveting and

thoughtful topic to discuss.

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References

• Atherton, Sam. “Do People Actually Believe Dreams Mean Something To Us?” The Sleep
Matters Club, The Sleep Matters Club, 13 Mar. 2017, www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matters-club/
do-people-actually-believe-dreams-mean-something-to-us/.

• Breus, Michael J. “Why Do We Dream?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers,

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/201502/why-do-we-dream.

• Handley, Andrew. “10 Ancient Legends About Dreams.” Listverse, 20 June 2014,
listverse.com/2014/01/21/10-ancient-legends-about-dreams/.

• Linden, Sander van der. “The Science Behind Dreaming.” Scientific American, 26 July 2011,
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-behind-dreaming/

• Schredl, Michael, et al. “Measuring Attitude toward Lucid Dreams: A Six-Item

Scale.” Dreaming, vol. 29, no. 1, Mar. 2019, pp. 91–99. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1037/
drm0000094.

• “Dreams - What They Mean and Psychology behind Them – American Sleep
Association.” American Sleep Association, www.sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/dreams/.