Have you ever been woken up from a good night’s sleep just to remember a random dream that you’ve had that night? Throughout our lives, we have, and will continue, to have dreams, but many may not know why these dreams occur. By learning more about the science of dreams, the most common dreams, and their (possible meanings), we can start to understand more about our minds. 

When it comes to our dreams, there is still a lot of research to be done in this area, mainly because it seems as though dreams are catered to each individual. But, according to health.cleveland.org, there is one aspect of dreams that are common in everyone. “Most dreaming occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which we cycle through periodically during the night”. While officials understand that dreams occur during REM sleep, there is still a disconnect on the psychological aspect. For instance, health.cleavland.org mentions how there is one study that “..suggests dreams stem from your imagination (the memories, abstract thoughts and wishes pumped deep within your brain) than the perception (the vivid sensory experiences you collect in your forebrain)”, yet there are still many scientists who beg to differ. Nonetheless, there are still many features, and dreams, that are commonly experienced by many. 

In our dreams, there are many factors that make them unique, but that does not mean that there are not some aspects of our dreams that are similar. According to healthline.com, “..65 percent of the elements of our dreams are associated with your experiences while you are awake”. So, if you tend to dream about a certain situation, or person, it could just mean that you’re dreams and reality are intertwining, which is what makes our dreams stand out! But while we do have individual experiences and dreams, there are some dreams that are common when sleeping. In a research article by Forbes.com, they concluded that some of the most common dreams include falling, cheating, being chased, public humiliation, and losing your teeth. Many may, or may not, have had these dreams, but no matter what type of dream you have, it could leave you with some questions that you want answered.

There may have been mornings when you have woken up and immediately searched up the meaning of a dream you just had. However, there are many factors, like our personal lives and psychological state, that can lead to certain dreams. In the end, there is not one meaning behind everyone’s dreams, and it may be hard to find the meaning of them since it seems like our dreams are an individual experience.

To conclude, dreams are something that are universally experienced in humans. We can have a dream that relates to certain aspects of our own life, or some that are so broad that multiple people have had them as well. Due to this, it can be hard to decipher the meaning of them. But in the end, no matter how crazy our dreams are, it is something that everyone can relate to, and is curious to learn more about.