C: Chasing Dreams

Sleep is so mysterious to me.  I realize that this is no news flash, but I have found that the amount and quality of my sleep is deeply entwined with both my productivity and my mood. 

Without enough sleep, I become prone to depression and excessive worry.  Those little hills I face at work begin to look like insurmountable mountains.  I can’t tell you the times I have come home from work worried to death about how I was going to deal with an upcoming problem.  After a good night’s sleep, not only was I refreshed and re-energized to tackle it, but often I have new, good ideas about the situation; it’s as if my brain was working on things while I was asleep.  I believe that is exactly what happens, so often do I have this experience.

In looking through some of the on-line sources about sleep I find that one of the major points made is that sleep is not idle time.  There is some suspension of sense, and it is restorative and restful.  Studies show that sleep allows your physical body to rejuvenate: wounds heal more quickly with good sleep, for instance. And, without doubt, during sleep my brain works.  I know it not only because of that problem-solving I mentioned above but because sometimes I am deprived of a good night’s sleep because my brain is in overdrive about work.  This is one aspect of sleep I have not learned to control.

But, now, for the real reason for writing this post.  I am nosy about you.

One of my greatest pleasures of sleeping is dreaming.  I do not remember my dreams after every night and, in fact, I don’t think I remember my dreams nearly as often as other people seem to.  I find in my reading that all of us dream every time we sleep, whether we recall it or not.

What I loving about my dreams is changing and directing them.  I hear people all the time saying that they had a “bad dream” and woke up disturbed.  I have had that happen a time or two, but not many.  Instead, I just change the direction of the dream if I don’t like what’s happening.  Frequently I have the experience of dreaming and consciously saying to myself, “No, I don’t like this; I’m going to dream about this in this way…”

I also sometimes choose topics to dream about—my current favorite involves having lots of money…there, you have it: I’m materialistic.

My question: Do you do this?  Do you seem to have control over your dreams?  And do you choose the topics of your dreams?

Some of my friends seem to think this is strange.  I did a quick little Google on this to find that it is something called “lucid dreaming,” and that people are urged to “learn” to do this by practicing it.  It also seems to be associated with new-age mumbo-jumbos like astral projection and teleporting, which I hasten to add has not been among my sleep experiences, although I might like a few trips to Europe and other places during the night…

It appears, that dream control is possible for us all.  But I can’t remember a time when I could not control my dreams…do  you do this?  Am I weird? - C

Comments

Paul C said…
Interesting hypothesis. If one's thoughts are dominated by an upcoming trip, for example, are there not allusions to it in dreams? Some business/wealth coaches will say dream about where you want to be...
mamahasspoken said…
I do remember some of my dreams, some of them because of how awesome they were and some because of how bad they were. I've had times too where I'll be dreaming and think I didn't like the way the dream is going and the dream will change to end the way I wanted it end. Too bad I can't do that in real life....
Janean said…
the older i get, the more i do seem to be able to know logically that i'm just dreaming, therefore i can change the direction. if i awake before i can, i purposefully *rethink* the dream before i fall back asleep.
Dreams are a dime a dozen. That is what they are dreams and they really don't cost a cent. They are there to give our over active brains a chance to reach, because when awake we are geared to what and where we are at in life at the moment. Isn't God amazing how he made us with a brain to use for him and you are doing a pretty good job with yours.
happyone said…
I've never tried controlling my dreams before. I wake up often from dreams. I remember a lot of my dreams but not all.
The other day I was reading a book, fell asleep in the chair and my dream continued the story in the book. I had to go back and reread the last few pages of the book to get back to the real story!
Maria said…
I often remember my dreams immediately when I wake up but find I've forgotten them a few hours later....how is that I wonder?
My husband swears he never dreams. I dream a lot. Sometimes I will wake during an amazing dream and lay there tryinf to recapture the magic of the dream. Sometimes I will wake mildly disturbed and bits and pieces of the dream will come to me as I go about my day. I don't know that I have ever controlled a dream ....... but I will try tonight......
Vee said…
Yes, I do stop a dream and redirect it if I don't like the way it is going. Recently, I suggested this to my grandson, just four, and I hope that he learns how because The Cat in the Hat has been coming to his house in his dreams and making a mess. My grandson does not like this one little bit. Ha!
Never thought of directing my dreams, I dream alot, when it is vivid nad I know every aspect it usually has meaning in my life, I do notusually have bad dreams, but have, not sure I can driect them but I am going to try and see:)
A bad dream can leave a dark cloud that follows you throughout your day! At least it does for me! I seldom do have a bad dream, but I'm definitely more like to have one if I'm worried or upset about something. When I was younger I resisted sleep, but now that I'm older, I usually welcome it. I also have redirected dreams if I've awakened enough, but I don't really clearly recall the outcome! I like that term "lucid dreaming"--it describes the redirected dream.
kath001 said…
The most interesting dream I've ever had is only known to me because of my son's reluctant witness.

My kids often tell me about the crazy things I say when my sleep is disturbed. One morning my son asked me if I remembered telling him goodnight. No, I said, why? He didn't answer. Did I say something crazy? Yes, he said. What, I ask. I don't know, he said, it wasn't in English.

Uh, just so you know, I do not speak a foreign language except for a little (very little) Spanish, which he said it definitely was not.

OoooOOooooooOOOOooo...Twilight Zone.
KathyB. said…
Dreams, I find them very interesting , sometimes nice, sometimes scary. I really think I am a night-owl because long, long ago I was afraid to sleep because of nightmares.My nightmares were horrific and I can still remember 3 that haunted me throughout my childhood. ( No, No traumatic childhood experiences to cause this that I know of)

Many years later someone asked me if I prayed about this night time fear.Wow, never thought of that, but it works. I think meditating on God, His word and His ways put the night horrors on the run. I have also had some very intense dreams that seemed to foretell things, I don't like those either.

I have read books in my dreams that although I don't remember the books, I wanted more of the story when I awoke, and like others who have commented, I have had my share of very pleasant dreams that made me stay in bed a bit longer to remember them and think on them. Love this topic, and maybe I should try to redirect my dreams. How very imaginative and practical of you to tell yourself what to dream...now as to sleep, I s'pose I should be heading to bed now to get some R & R with lovely dreams included!
Ayak said…
I don't always remember my dreams but occasionally I have a dream that is so vivid that when I wake up I actually think the dream is reality.

I've also woken up on the odd occasion when I'm half way through a particularly enjoyable dream and I try to go back to sleep to continue it! That never works though!
Loved reading this post. Sleep is such and important thing. I have never tried to take control of my dreams, however, I have awakened in the middle of a dream and wtry to fall back asleep to that I could go back to it! lol. blessings,Kathleen
Zuzana said…
Oh, another post I can so relate to. I do too need TONS of sleep. 10 hours is the best. If I get less than 6 for a few days I start becoming depressed and light headed. I feel terribly ill and close to fainting, like having a bad hangover.
I also do dream. A great deal actually. My dreams effect me greatly, to the point I want to relive them again. I have not been able to direct or change my dreams, but I do pay attention to what I dream as it often reflects my inner worries and desires, some that I often suppress in my woken state.
Have you seen the movie "Inception". One of the bets movies I have ever seen. And the only one I have a desire to go and see several times.
xoxo
Jody Blue said…
I'm usually disappointed when I dream something that I really want to come true and wake up to find it was just a dream. Have a had a bad dream or two then I told myself to just change it.
Amarykinwoman said…
"Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange."
If you haven't seen Inception yet, I highly reccommend it. One of the best movies I have seen in a long time, albeit a bit stressful!!

I have lucid yet sometimes movie-like dreams. It's sometimes like I am directing a movie with characters who rely on me for their existence. I am the character and then I'm 3rd person omniscient. I can fly in my dreams and breathe under water.
My most recent strange dream that I can remember is one where I went on a cruise with my boyfriend's family. The cruise went around the north pole and every time the ship got into what I'm guessing my mind decided was a magnetic field of some sort, everything would change and everyone would be hanging from the furniture on the ceiling. When we finally let go, we would land back on the floor as if nothing had happened, but you had to let go and fall for things to return to normal. Very weird! I love dreams. I always have had very vivid and often lucid dreams. Funny though, when I was pregnant I didn't dream at all and my dreams have only recently started to go back to 'normal'.

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