Understanding Dreams
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KEY POINTS
- In order to understand and learn from your dreams, look at the thoughts and feelings behind what happens. Your mind gives you symbols that can help you look at what is happening in your waking life in new ways.
- Sometimes you may find that you understand a dream days later. You will likely never understand all of your dreams.
- If dreams cause troubled sleep that interferes with work, school, or social activities, you may want to talk with a counselor or therapist.
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What are dreams?
Dreams are images and stories that appear as you sleep. Dreams happen during periods of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. During REM, your eyes move quickly and your brain is very active. REM seems to help people learn and remember. Infants spend much more time in REM sleep than adults.
Most dreams have some things in common:
- The people in your dreams are often familiar to you.
- You are more likely to dream about places like your home or vacation spot than to dream about being at work.
- You may have strong feelings like fear or anger in your dreams.
- Your dreams may feel very real.
- Things that happened recently or something that you are worrying about may show up in dreams.
Dreams can reveal thoughts that you may not be aware of. Remembering your dreams may help you understand yourself better and come up with ways to solve problems. Dreams may also help you deal with feelings, such as dread, fear, confusion, anger, or sadness.
How can I learn from my dreams?
In order to understand and learn from your dreams, look at the thoughts and feelings behind what happens. The settings, actions, and people in your dreams are personal to you. Your mind gives you symbols that can help you look at what is happening in your waking life in new ways.
You might want write about your dreams each morning in a dream journal. To increase your chances of understanding a dream, follow these steps:
- Right after you wake up, write down everything you can remember about your dreams.
- Go over what you have written and add any more details that come to mind.
- Relax and try to think of what your dreams remind you of. You may think of memories from years ago or something that happened recently. Write about the memories or events. What happened, where did it happen, how did you feel, and who else was there?
- Read over what you have written and see if you find anything that seems like a message to you. Is it related to other dreams that you have had recently?
Sometimes you may find that you understand a dream days later. You will likely never understand all of your dreams.
What if I don’t remember my dreams?
Some people remember their dreams better than others. You may not remember your dreams because:
- You are not getting enough sleep each night to have long periods of REM sleep.
- You don’t think dreams are important and don’t pay attention to them.
- You worry that angry or sad feelings from dreams might ruin your day.
- You are embarrassed about your dreams and don’t want to think about them.
If you want to remember more of your dreams, keeping a dream journal can help. It also helps to relax for a few moments before you fall asleep and tell yourself that you will remember your dreams. This is also helpful if you want to have lucid dreams. In a lucid dream, you are aware that you are dreaming and may try to influence what happens in the dream. People who dream in this way are more likely to remember their dreams.
When can dreams be a sign of a problem?
It may be time to consult a therapist or healthcare provider when:
- You often have nightmares that wake you up.
- Dreams cause troubled sleep that interferes with work, school, or social activities.
- You have a dream that you do not understand and you have the same dream over and over.
- You have symptoms of anxiety or depression, such as loss of appetite, trouble concentrating, or loss of pleasure in your usual activities.
