Dreams Blog

For those who study dreams, this report may be an important piece of information.

According to a recent research conducted by experts, catnaps or short term sleeps may help one’s memory or for one’s brain to function more effectively. In a way, it reboots one’s brain.

This development was explained by CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton during the “Early Show” program.

Thirty-nine respondents took part in the study and it has been discovered that short naps aid them in memory exercises. The respondents who napped performed 20 percent better than those who did not.

The researchers believed that a part of the brain called the hippocampus – storage of short-term memories – tends to be rebooted during these short naps. This leads to the brain making room for new information and learning.

This development may be good for students who are preparing for an exam, that sleep can actually improve their studying because more information relevant to the exam can be stored in their brains.

We dream in several stages of our sleep, and it doesn’t necessarily have to occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage. However, constantly depriving ourselves of the REM stage due to losing the last couple of hours of sleep means losing the opportunity to view the images that may have significant definitions in how we live our life.

According to experts, dreams are there for a reason and have some purpose in a way. Images could serve as clues for solutions that we may need to implement to live a more meaningful life.

Certain patterns may be discovered when we dream. In fact experts have linked those who dream often to have productive tendencies during their waking moments – such as writing more creative stories.

Despite these admirable observations, dreams are useful to all people regardless of their profession as these images have significance only to the individual.

Interpretations on the actual definition of dreams can be made but the answer always lies to the dreamer.

For those with severe sleep apnea, there’s a silver lining, there’s a lesser occurrence of bad dreams based on the research conducted by medical experts.

Dr. Jim Pagel, one of the lead researchers of a medical study that was published in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, said that they discovered that patients with severe sleep apnea have fewer nightmares. He added that this is one of the first studies that clearly support the findings. This gives the medical experts more understanding of this condition.

Pagel is the director of the Sleep Disorders Center of Southern Colorado and he is optimistic that further studies and research will be made in the topic of sleep apnea.

He said that sleep apnea becomes more interesting now that it has tie-ins to dreams and nightmares and they will explore more on this aspect in their upcoming researches.

Studying dreams can take a lifetime or in fact a career choice for many but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to get at least a vague idea on the meaning behind the dreams that we make.

Dreams can be interpreted in several ways. What one sees and interprets may not necessarily apply to the other because after all we are unique. Finding an actual meaning on the visions that we see during our sleep may be frustrating. It is best to go with the flow and see how things go.

There are several aspects of the dream that we need to consider such as how we can inculcate these so-called “messages” in our everyday lives. If we see a gun in our dream, does this mean that we need to buy one? Not necessarily, it may be a symbolism that we need to gun down negative thoughts and continue in our life’s journey with optimism.

There are several instances where people fear their dreams. Here are some common fears:

- dreams reveal sexual longings and a desire to fulfill sexual fantasies. This is due to the Freudian analysis.

- people tend to distrust or fear dreams due to the belief that we should be in control of our lives and messages or images from the dream should be ignored and should not be enacted at all .

- people think that their dreams depict future events that can take place far away. These dreams may leave them immobile since they don’t have a concrete answer as to how to deal with it.

- people fear dreams because they could be messages from the higher being and that presented with such dreams mean that their faith is being tested.

However, experts said that finding out what dreams mean should not be feared upon since shutting them out means inhibiting ourselves to find opportunity or to take part in something that could make a change in our life.

School of Metaphysics Director and Dream researcher Dr. Daniel Condron said that recurring dreams are just one of the types of dreams that we encounter everyday. He believes that dreams represent a message or question. This is usually related to a person’s fear, doubt, habit and many more.

The dream expert said that once the dreamer has an understanding as to what he or she is dreaming about, there’s a big chance that the resolution will be enacted.

The thing about dreams, he says, is that the dreamer and the interpreter can be both right or wrong with the perception behind the images seen during sleep. No one can really be sure if the meaning is right. Even experts are honest enough to admit that there are no exact interpretations in our dreams because we are unique in every way. The best bet is that there’s always a common denominator which we can work on as we try to find the resolutions behind our recurring dreams.

He also believes that although it is hard to influence dreams you can make sure you have comfortable nightwear and a comfortable bed to sleep in.

Experts say that it is normal for us to have recurring dreams. The question is how do we find the meaning behind these dreams and why do they occur regularly? Does it have significant implications on how we live our lives today?

Recurring dreams have been categorized into two: full-on nightmares and stress related dreams. Most of these dreams reflect our anxieties and fears.

• Being chased: This is a common dream for most of us. There are instances where we are being chased by someone or something and we feel that we cannot move. Experts believe that the meaning is that there’s something that we should be doing but we may have opted not to.

• Falling: We’re falling into a deep abyss without end, an indication that an undertaking that we’ve been doing may not be going well.

• Haunted house: This may have something to do with the environment that we’re in. There might be hostility that needs resolution.

In the continuing development following the mysterious car accident he had encountered recently, a prominent magazine reported that top golfer Tiger Woods have allegedly dreamt of having an orgy with his mistress together with some of the high profile celebrities and athletes.

Rachel Uchitel, one of Woods’ alleged mistresses, have reportedly forwarded Woods’ messages to her friends. The message reportedly stated that he was imagining himself getting married to her.

The message also stated that he was imagining her having sex with New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter and actor David Boreanaz. Boreanaz is a lead actor for procedural crime drama “Bones.”

This development once more heated up Woods’ presence in the media. There have been conflicting messages from fans regarding this issue, with some saying that it is normal for men to have these dreams while others are starting to believe that Woods may have gay tendencies or a lingerie fetish.

The quest to find the meaning of dreams continues to fascinate everyone, regardless of age of gender. After all, there’s this unavoidable yearning to know if the images seen during sleep have significant meaning when it comes to daily living. There are different approaches on dealing with the dreams based on how it was interpreted by the dreamer.

A new study by sleep expert Allan Hobson came out recently wherein the expert stated that one of the main functions of these dreams that dreamers encounter is that it tunes up the brain for day – whether at work or home. These findings have caught some criticisms from others because it portrays the dreamers as “self-deluding.” Hobson has also stated in his study that dreaming is “a parallel state of consciousness.”

Despite these findings, at the end of the day it is the dreamer who will be dealing with these images and if something positive can be done out of the meaning of dreams. One thing is for sure if you will have a more comfortable sleep if you wear comfy nightwear and have comfy sheets.

Finding the meaning behind dreams always catch out attention because in some way or another, if we gain insight from the images that we see when sleep, this could influence how we deal with everyday life and the challenges that lie ahead. Here are some common dreams and meaning as interpreted by experts: Car problem dreams: A common dream which usually means that we are not going through the right path in life and that there are events in life that we need to deal with because it misses the needed “parts” to make it complete and workable. Failure in tests: A common dream for those who have already graduated from school and are now working. This signifies frustration in career or life and that there are challenges that are difficult to deal with. Experts believe that in order to combat the frustrations is to find the root cause and start from there.