Your alarm clock beeps incessantly, screeching that it’s time to get ready for that 8 a.m. organic chemistry test. You struggle out of bed, hiding for one last moment underneath your covers as you take a deep breath and toss them aside. Stumbling to the bathroom, you brush your teeth and apply deodorant in record time. Then, wandering back into your room, you pick out your outfit and grab your backpack. You are so ready for this day. It’s 7:30 a.m. and the shuttle arrives magically on time (rarely).
You get on the shuttle, but suddenly, due to raucous laughter, realize your shirt is missing. Horror begins to overtake you almost as quickly as the blood rushes to your cheeks and you take off sprinting back to your dorm, tears welling up in your eyes as you realize your key card is in your room — and your alarm clock beeps again, waking you from the nightmare, this time shrieking that you overslept and are late for class once again.
In the words of Cinderella: “A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep.” But what exactly are dreams in real life, and what do they mean? Since the beginning of time, religion and science have attempted to explain our midnight musings. They can be terrifying and seemingly wrought with meaning. Our knowledge of dreams goes back to the Old Testament, when Daniel was said to have been gifted with visions and the ability to interpret dreams (Daniel 1:17). Science has also attempted to deduce the implications of dreaming, though most research on its meaning has proven subjective.
According to “The Science of Dreaming,” by Robert J Hoss, M.S., Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep cycles occur in almost all “terrestrial, placental mammals, with minor exceptions.” Practically everyone dreams, due to alternating REM sleep cycles with NREM (non-rapid eye movement) cycles. Depending on which cycle is occurring, dreams can either be intensely emotion-driven or thought-based.
Typically during REM, dreams occur that have more to do with your emotional state and are less realistic. NREM cycles indicate a higher reflection of your thoughts, and are usually more like the real world.
Hoss includes that with increased age, the recollection of dreams decreases significantly.
Dream interpretation is less conclusive as a whole. It is difficult to categorize dreams because they reflect (and distort) your own perceptions of reality. However, there are more common dreams, reports Dreammoods.com, such as being chased, falling, test taking, being naked or dying. These dreams usually reveal suppressed insecurities like anxiety and fear. Most dreams are nonsensical and disturbing once you wake up. Dreams can also depict our deepest desires, like dreaming of a lost loved one or an ex-lover.
Interpreting dreams isn’t an exact science, but we all dream. Hoss believes that dreams may exist to reintegrate our bodies and minds — that we process everything that occurred during the day while we sleep.
So sweet dreams, Pepperdine, and dream on.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Follow Connor Shewmake on Twitter: @connorshewmake
