Many of us believe our dreams have different meanings. Dreams can be scary, bizarre, comforting, and even feel like real life. While some dreams can be extremely vivid, most dreams are very hazy or forgotten all together . Regardless, everyone has dreams, even if they do not  remember them. 

So what  are dreams anyway? Dreams are best described as images created by our minds while we sleep. According to WebMD, dreams can occur at any time but most commonly occur during a sleep phase called REM (rapid eye movement). During REM sleep, your eyes move rapidly in different directions without providing your brain with any visual information. REM is also your brain’s most active phase of sleep. Some experts estimate that we dream at least three to six times per night. 

There are many theories on why we dream, but no one knows for sure. Some experts believe that dreams are necessary for our mental, emotional, and physical well being. Others believe that dreams have no meaning at all. However, many experts agree that dreams are a way for your brain to process all of the information it gathers throughout  the day. Dreams can also work to solve problems, incorporate memories, and process emotions. In one study conducted about dreams, researchers woke people up right as they were entering REM sleep. They found that those who were not able to dream had more anxiety, depression, tension, a hard time concentrating, lack of coordination, weight gain, and a tendency to hallucinate. 

World renowned Psychologist Sigmund Freud believed that dreams are a window into our subconscious mind. He theorized that dreams help to protect people from waking up early when light or sound disrupts their sleep. Additionally, he thought that dreams reveal a person’s thoughts, motivations, and subconscious desires. Similarly, Carl Jung believed that dreams had meaning. He focused on patterns and categories of dreams, theorizing that they could help us understand daily events and reveal aspects of ourselves and relationships that we aren’t yet aware of. 

Whether you believe that dreams point to something more, or that they are just a bunch of nonsense, they are extremely fascinating and something that we all do. So the next time you dream, write it down and see what you can find.