Dreams
DEFINITION
Dreams are the mental images and stories that our mind creates while we sleep.
They can be disturbing, bizarre, romantic, and fun
They are universal human experiences that are described being the combination
Between sensory , cognitive and emotional occurrence during sleep
CAUSES
Unconscious desires and wishes
The process of interpreting and gathering information which are accumulated during
the day
A kind of psychotherapy
Signals from the brain and body during the sleep
FUNCTION OF DREAMS
It can prepare human beings for possible future threats
Developing cognitive abilities
Incorporates different experiences form the past and present in order to prepare
human mind for the future
Psychological space where overwhelming emotions, highly complex and contradictory feeling or memories/ events are brought together in order to be created a psychological balance

TYPES OF DREAMS
Standard Dreams:
A standard dream can be influenced by what we were thinking before going to sleep
This type of dream is influenced by different actions, events, moments which we are
experiencing in a day
Stress can affect how pleasant the dream can be
Some dreams can be strange
We typically dream about four to six times per night , but most of these dreams are
forgotten by people
Nightmares:
Dreams that are strange, scary , disturbing etc.
Causes of nightmares:
Audio-visual content which is scary
Insomnia
Apnea
Side effects of medication
Illness
Some common themes of nightmares are death and violence
Lucid Dreams:
People are aware that they are dreaming while they are in dream.
It happens during REM sleep
Most people do not have lucid dreams
It is possible to experience this type of dream at one moment in life
You can control a lucid dream if you have practice
Daydreams:
People are awake during a daydream
They may occur consciously or unconsciously
They involve other people which can be real or imagined
Recurring Dreams:
Dreams that repeat more than once
Common themes are attack, failing, being frozen with fear

FACTS ABOUT DREAMS
People spend an average of six years dreaming during lifetime
Most dreams are visual
Some people can have dreams in black and white instead of color ones
Men and women tend to dream differently
You can control your dream ( lucid dreaming)
Tendency of having nightmares
External stimuli play a positive or negative role in dreams
The common emotion experienced by human beings in dreams is anxiety
Blind people tend to dream visually
The human body is paralyzed during dreaming process
Some dreams are universal
CONNECTION BETWEEN DREAMS AND MENTAL HEALTH
People who suffer from depression tend to dream more
Dreaming for some people can be a way to deal with depression
Depressed people stay more in REM sleep before dreaming than usual
Due to the fact that people who are depressed dream more per night, they can feel
exhausted
Depressed people tend to remember the dreams more than an average person are do
so
Depression causes nightmares
People with panic attacks fall asleep much harder or spend much time awake
Frequent nightmares are signs that a person could have generalized anxiety disorder
or PTSD
The using of alcohol, drugs or other substance in order to cope with anxiety, depression and other disorders, can affect the structure of brain, and to create strange dreams
