If you look in the Oxford diary, a dream is conceptualized as a set of images, thoughts or fantasies that present themselves to the mind during sleep .
Sleep quality is an increasingly important issue for society. A few hours of poor sleep a day can have a significant impact on your mental health . And one aspect that is intrinsically linked to sleep is dreams.
For many, they are just meaningless or cohesive images that occur during sleep. However, within neuroscience and psychoanalysis, they are an important instrument in mental health .
Follow along and better understand the importance of dreams for your psychological well-being and how you can use them to your advantage.
What is the definition of a dream?
The definition can change a lot depending on your theoretical perspective. There are two biases that we will address here: that of neuroscience and that of Freudian psychoanalysis.
What is the dream for neuroscience?
It is in neuroscience as the function of the brain involving the processing of information during sleep . It means it has its way of regulating its activities.
Dreams mainly occur in the REM stage, which is also the deep stage of sleep. This stage of sleep also indicates high activity of the brain.
Although science has advanced a lot, our knowledge about dreams and their mechanism is still not clear. We don’t know neurologically what triggers them, but there are several theories regarding their function.
What is a dream for Freud?
For Freudian psychoanalysis, it is a manifestation of the unconscious, which is possible when the individual is not awake . However, to understand this definition, it is necessary to understand other points.
For Freud, the human mind was divided into three parts:
- Id (It): the combination of animal impulses, physiological needs and unconscious desires, without any restriction;
- Superego (Above the Self): civilization and social pressures that seek to repress the impulses of the Id;
- Ego (I): the individual mind, which tries to mediate the impulses of the Id and the demands of the Superego;
Furthermore, Freud establishes the division between the conscious and unconscious mind. Most of it is unconscious, that is, it does not manifest itself in a visible way.
However, during sleep, the constraints of the Ego and Superego become looser, which allows unconscious thoughts to manifest in the form of dreams . This is why dream interpretation is used as a form of self-knowledge .
This is just a superficial explanation of the topic, but it helps us understand it better.
What is the reason for dreams?
As we mentioned, there is no definitive answer as to what causes dreams. However, there are theories explored in both psychoanalysis and neuroscience. Here are some of them:
- memory consolidation: during REM sleep, the brain is in intense activity, processing the day’s memories, deciding which ones will be consolidated and which ones will be discarded;
- interpretation of stressful situations: another theory linked to psychoanalysis is that dreams are the unconscious manifesting itself to understand stressful situations , such as trauma;
- maintenance of neurotransmitters: it is also possible that dreams are a way of keeping the brain active during sleep, which is a period of low stimulation, which prevents them from atrophying.
Remember that these are just some of the current theories. Science can still find new information at any time.
Therefore, it is important to consider professional activity when we talk about this subject. Since it takes up a large part of our day, it can be decisive for the quality of our sleep.
How to remember your dreams?
Some people say they don’t dream. However, it’s more likely that they just don’t remember what they dream about. This is something that can be partially controlled.
Learn some tips to remember them more easily.
Create a diary
The best way to remember them more clearly is to record them . This can also be seen as a form of self-care .
To do this, you must always have a quick and easy recording method at hand. A notebook under your pillow, a notepad or a tape recorder.
The moment you wake up, make a note of whatever you can recall of the dream happening around you, and in as many details as possible. With time, you will learn to remember more of those events.
Have a good night’s sleep
Mental fatigue is another factor that makes it difficult to recall dreams after waking up. Remember, dreams are most common during deep sleep. Therefore, you must create the right conditions for them to occur.
Lights off, avoid intense activities right before bed, eat well, stay hydrated, without too much noise, etc.
Sleep with the intention of dreaming and remembering
Your mind responds better to autosuggestion than you might think. Before you go to sleep, say out loud, “I’m going to dream and I’m going to remember what happened .” Having this idea fixed in your mind increases your chances of remembering what happened clearly.
How to interpret dreams?
The practice of interpreting them dates back to ancient times. Many were considered divine messages or premonitions. Even within modern psychoanalysis, they are still a strong object of study.
Many dreams are a way of dealing with anxiety and processing trauma, so interpreting them is a way of understanding how these events manifest in your mind .
The result of this premise is that each dream is fundamentally unique. Its symbols and meanings depend on the individual dreamer more than anything else. On top of all this, the language used can be difficult to understand.
For these reasons, many people need the help of a professional psychologist or psychoanalyst to find a satisfactory interpretation.
How to command a dream?
Another interesting fact: it is possible to take control of a dream, walking in it as if you were awake. This is called lucid dreaming .
As the name suggests, you are in control of your body even within the dream. Thus, you can determine its content and how it manifests itself.
Achieving this state is a matter of practice. The practices we mentioned for remembering dreams are the first step. Once you are able to remember what you dreamed clearly, you can then try to keep your mind awake at that moment.
One of the most common methods is to set your alarm for half an hour before your normal time. The idea is to wake up during REM sleep, but without actually waking up.
Stay in bed and focus on the dream you just had . If all goes well, the same dream will manifest again, but you will be consciously in it.
It can take some time to have a lucid dream. Some people find it quite easy, while others may struggle. In any case, the important thing is to be persistent and patient.
As you can see, dreams are much more important than they seem. More than just meaningless images, they are manifestations of your mind, the brain organizing memory and ensuring better mental health.