12 Psychological Sleep Facts

Sleeping and dreaming is something we all do, and most of us quite enjoy getting back to bed after a long day of work or school. But what happens within our brain when we are in the land of dreams?

Dreaming Stages

Dreaming generally happens during the rapid eye movement stage of sleep, also known as REM. Only about 10% or less of dreams happen outside the REM stage.

Importance of Dreaming

In a study, participants were deprived of dreaming during their normal sleep cycles as they were woken up each time they entered REM sleep. As a result, the participants became more anxious or irritable and had trouble concentrating while they were awake. It seemed like a certain drive to dream built up inside of them the more they were deprived of it.

REM Sleep Time

Babies spend up to 50% of their sleep in REM stage, while adults only spend about 20% in REM stage. If you're woken during the REM stage, you are more likely to remember your dreams.

Visual Imagery

Eye movements made during REM sleep are related to the visual imagery of your dream.

Other Interesting Facts

Other interesting facts include drug withdrawal causing more intense dreams, blind people being able to dream, dream interpretation theories dating back thousands of years, and more.

Environment Influence

Your environment can also affect your dream. Your brain will sometimes incorporate sound or other stimuli from your surroundings into your dream.

So, what do you think about these effects? Have you ever experienced them while sleeping or dreaming? Let us know in the comments below!

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