Many times I’ve woken up wondering, “What on Earth did I just dream? Was it even on Earth?” Usually this is on a school morning, so I don’t have time to think about it or try to figure out the bizarre imaginings of my sleeping brain. I do have a few theories about what could be causing all of these crazy dreams, though.
I think there are multiple factors determining what most people dream. One factor would be the things that you detect with the five senses. Once I dreamed that I was taking a walk in the woods, when all of a sudden the woods vanished and I stood in my room, reaching to turn off my sister’s blaring alarm. I woke to find that her alarm really was going off. While that was an example of accidental dream manipulation (by my sister’s clock), messing with a person’s dreams might also be intentional. However, I see no purpose for this other than a practical joke.
Another potential factor is food. As claimed by Mrs. Digby in the children’s series Ruby Redfort, cheese is a popular culprit. I often find that enjoying some form of cheese before bed generates outlandish night visions without fail; this might include anything from a midnight snack of a cheese slice to the pizza my friends and I ate at a sleepover. Other forms of dairy could be suspected as well, such as ice cream. Many of my friends say that chocolate has some influence on the mind’s subconscious wanderings. I don’t think my beloved dark chocolate has ever given me weird dreams, but this does make me suspect other sugary items. All throughout my Skittle-sprinkled childhood I’ve had wild dreams-could candy be the culprit?
heart makes! While the hum-drum parts of your day often worm their way into your subconscious, the more significant events sneak in sometimes, too. Anyone who has seen or read a good horror fiction can attest to this. Or, if you’ve fallen desperately in love recently, that certain someone could become the literal man or woman of your dreams when you save him/her from fire-breathing serpents in your slumber.
When my elementary school teachers told me to dream big, I don’t think this is quite what they meant. I think I'll keep dreaming anyway.
If you have any funny stories about dreams, tell me about them!
I wholly sympathize with alarms influencing your dreams, but I'm curious to hear what you think on sleep paralysis? It's similar to dreaming, but difficult to move during.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think I've heard of that but I'm not completely sure what it is. It certainly sounds interesting.
DeleteFor me, it seems like I only recall dreams that I dreamed during a good night's sleep. Recently, I've been sleeping at odd hours, like during the day, or getting no sleep at all. So I can't really remember any of my dreams nowadays, which is really disappointing.
ReplyDeleteI have really weird dreams, so I thought this was a really interesting post. I like having weird dreams, to be quite honest, because then during the day it gives me something to think about when I'm bored. Maybe I'll start eating more cheese and chocolate before bed! :)
ReplyDeleteMy dreams are often a super-exaggerated version of something I'm actually stressed out about. For example, before the beginning of school last August I dreamed that the school decided the Writing Center should now be located in the middle of the gym, and while I was supervising/directing the WC I would also be supervising gym classes. Guess I was just stressed about all the responsibilities I already had on my plate and was afraid the school would add more!
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