What do dreams mean?
Why do we dream?
That's the big question of dream research. Until a few years ago, dreams were seen as a kind of garbage collection of the brain, today experts assume that they help us to process the daily experience. But what do dreams mean? What is the purpose of the nocturnal cinema? Scientists say: Dreams can, in the ideal case, put stress on stressful experiences, influence our mood, and change our view of what we have experienced.
What happens in erotic dreams?
Ten percent of the male and three percent of the female dreams are about sex. Measurements show: In REM sleep, women have a stronger blooded vagina and men an erection, sometimes an ejaculation. However, whether the physical excitement is accompanied by erotic dreams, one does not know exactly. It is a fundamental problem of dream research that the experts can measure processes in the brain accurately, but can only learn the contents from the - subjective - narratives of the subjects. The connection between these two levels is complex.
When do we dream?
All people dream, even those who can never remember a dream. At night, three to four 90-minute cycles of light, deep and REM sleep follow each other. Some scientists assume that it is only dreamed in the REM phase. "Wrong," says the Mannheim dream researcher Michael Schredl, "we always dream, albeit in different intensities."
Do women dream differently than men?
Women remember their dreams more often, and they talk about it more often than men. In both genders, the own partner or the partner appears in 20 percent of all dreams. Otherwise, many dream content correspond to the role stereotypes: Men are more often about aggression, they dream of weapons, of the outside world and of the job. Women, on the other hand, deal with interpersonal relationships, clothes and their home environment while sleeping. But the dream content changes with the social developments: In a study from the 50s, few women dreamed of the job - because the fewest had a job. In a recent study, bosses and colleagues are also bustling in female dreams - a testament to how concretely we work the dramas of the day at night.
Can dreams bring us new ideas?
How do we improve our customer service? What do I give my sweetheart for my birthday? Where do we go on vacation? It is worth to sleep one night over such questions. About eight percent of all dreams have a creative effect on the awake life. For example, chemist August Kekulé dreamed up the ring structure of benzene, and Paul McCartney dreamed the tune of "Yesterday". Dreams can open new doors and contribute to new ideas. We detach ourselves from retracted thought patterns, the anarchy of the dream invents new contexts. Even if the flash of inspiration does not always withstand the strict watch in the waking state - dreams can be great food for thought. The creative potential of the dream can best be used by networking the state of waking and dreaming, and this can be trained.
Can you learn in a dream?
Sleepers can store knowledge and train abilities, as the neuroscientist Jan Born has proven. In the lucid dream complex movements such as skating or jumping up can be specifically improved. When learning vocabulary, too, it became clear that if you get used to it shortly before going to bed, you will score better in the test.
