10+ Mind-Blowing Dream Facts You Never Knew

Whether you recall dreams or not, you spend a lot of your life asleep. A significant part of that is filled with dreams. Actually, we spend about one-third of our life sleeping or trying to do so, according to the National Library of Medicine. However, the purpose of dreams is still unknown, which can leave you with many questions.

But, we have got you covered! Here are 10+ dream facts you definitely need to know, covering dream duration, meaning, and more!

1. Blind people can dream.

Blind people can dream, even if their eye movements are slower. Those who became blind later in life often experience visual dreams. Surprisingly, even those born blind can have dreams with visual imagery thanks to their other heightened senses.

2. The actual length of your dreams can vary.

Some dreams may last only a few seconds, while others are said to be as long as 30 minutes. It all depends on your REM sleep quality. REM sleep usually happens around every 2 hours. This means that as long as you get the appropriate 8 hours of sleep, you can see about 6 dreams every night!

3. Not everyone dreams in color.

Around 12% of people claim they only dream in black and white. This percentage has drastically dropped since the 1960s where beforehand having colored dreams was considered rare. Whoever claimed that they saw colored or “technicolor” dreams, was deemed artificial.

The idea that people used to only dream in black and white comes from the fact that before the 60s, people were more exposed to black-and-white television and media.

4. Animals can also dream.

Recent studies have shown that some animals have the ability to dream as well. Although most birds and reptiles experience deep sleep, mammals are more likely to go through REM sleep. “REM Sleep” is considered the phase in which dreams occur.

5. You can only dream about real people.

The Wutsai Neuroscience Institute at Stanford University claims that you can only dream about faces you have seen beforehand. If by any chance you believe that you have dreamt of someone you have never seen before, rest assured! Your brain can remember strangers’ faces that you pass along the street without your knowledge.

6. Nightmares are actually good for you.

Yes, you heard that right! Scientists claim that the reason for this is that bad dreams can help you prepare for the day ahead. Bad dreams can help you act out potentially harmful or bad scenarios before you experience them in real life.

7. Lucid dreaming is more common than you think.

Lucid dreams are considered the ones where you know that you are currently dreaming. They occur during REM sleep; over 50% of people have witnessed this phenomenon.

8. The most common dream is falling.

Ever experienced a falling sensation in your sleep that wakes you up immediately? It’s actually called a hypnic jerk, which is the most common dream experience! It is considered the transition between being awake and asleep. Your brain triggers this reaction to protect you from potential danger, as the falling sensation feels real.

9. You can’t use your phone in a dream.

Reading and writing are impossible to do while dreaming. This also includes using your cellphone. This is because your dreams run solely by using the emotional part of your brain. This means that the neocortex, or the logical, comprehensive of your brain does not work while dreaming.

10. Women remember dreams easier than men.

With a whopping 95%, women claim the throne when it comes to remembering dreams. Not only that, but women are more likely to remember a dream vividly while only around 80% of men remember theirs.

11. People dream every night.

That means no exceptions! If you ever felt like you didn’t dream, you only forgot it before waking up. The reason that you are likely to not remember your dreams is that the MHC cells don’t allow the memories of the dream to be stored in the hippocampus.

12. Nobody knows why we dream.

While there are tons of theories and experiments available, nobody really knows why we dream. Some believe it is because of our consciousness and our brain trying to rewind during the night, however, nothing is for certain.

13. You see around 1,500 dreams a year.

Since you are likely to see 4 to 6 dreams per night, this can add up to over 1,460 dreams per year. If you consider the average lifetime of a person, this can result in over 135,000 dreams throughout your entire life!

14. Bad dreams are more common than good ones.

In a study that lasted over 40 years and included over 50,000 test subjects, Calvin S. Hall concluded that people were more likely to see bad dreams than good ones. The main reason is that people are more likely to go through anxiety and stressful situations in their real lives which can also affect the dreams they see.

15. You can’t scream while dreaming.

Our neurons are completely shut off while dreaming. Neurons control our muscles and your tongue is also one! Without muscle neurons, you will not be able to use your tongue and therefore you can’t scream in dreams.

We hope this article about dream facts helped you answer all dream-related questions you ever wondered about! With all of these answers, one question still remains: Are we in control of our dreams, or are they in control of us? What do you think? Let us know down below!