This document will help you in understanding dreams and their types.

1. DREAMS

2. WHAT ARE DREAMS?
DREAMS ARE STORIES AND IMAGES
THAT OUR MINDS CREATE WHILE WE
SLEEP.
• THEY CAN BE ENTERTAINING, FUN,
DISTURBING, FRIGHTENING, AND
SOMETIMES BIZARRE
• BLIND PEOPLE DREAM MORE WITH
OTHER SENSORY COMPONENTS
COMPARED WITH SIGHTED PEOPLE

3. WHY DO WE DREAM?
THERE ARE SEVERAL THEORIES ABOUT WHY WE DREAM. ARE DREAMS MERELY
PART OF THE SLEEP CYCLE, OR DO THEY SERVE SOME OTHER PURPOSE?
POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS INCLUDE:
• REPRESENTING UNCONSCIOUS DESIRES AND WISHES
• INTERPRETING RANDOM SIGNALS FROM THE BRAIN AND BODY DURING
SLEEP
• CONSOLIDATING AND PROCESSING INFORMATION GATHERED DURING THE
DAY
• WORKING AS A FORM OF PSYCHOTHERAPY

4. TYPES OF DREAMS
THERE ARE MAIN 5 TYPES OF DREAMS;
• NORMAL DREAMS
• DAY DREAMS
• LUCID DREAMS
• FALSE AWAKENING DREAMS
• NIGHTMARES

5. NORMAL DREAMS:
• NORMAL DREAMS OFFER INSIGHTS FROM THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND
• THESE INSIGHTS ARE BASED ON YOUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES FROM THE DAY
BEFORE, SOMETIMES MEMORIES FROM LONG AGO, REPRESSED FEARS AND
ANXIETIES, AND YOUR STRONGEST DESIRES AND URGES
DAYDREAMS:
• DAYDREAMING IS THE REFOCUSING OF ATTENTION FROM OUTWARD
SURROUNDINGS TO ONE'S INNER THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
• STUDIES REVEAL THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON DAYDREAMS FOR A WHOPPING 70 -120
MINUTES OF THEIR WAKING DAY

6. LUCID DREAMS:
• LUCID DREAMS ARE WHEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE DREAMING WHILE YOU ARE
ASLEEP. YOU’RE AWARE THAT THE EVENTS ARE ASHING THROUGH YOUR BRAIN
AREN’T REALLY HAPPENING
FALSE AWAKENING DREAMS:
• A FALSE AWAKENING REFERS TO THE STRANGE EXPERIENCE OF “WAKING UP” WHEN
YOU ACTUALLY REMAIN ASLEEP. IT CAN INVOLVE VIVID, REALISTIC IMAGES THAT
LEAVE YOU FEELING ANXIOUS AND CONFUSED.
NIGHTMARES:
• NIGHTMARE, ALSO KNOWN AS A BAD DREAM,IS AN UNPLEASANT DREAM THAT CAN
CAUSE A STRONG EMOTIONAL RESPONSE FROM THE MIND, TYPICALLY FEAR BUT
ALSO DESPAIR, ANXIETY OR GREAT SADNESS.

7. FACTORS INFLUENCING DREAMS:
MANY FACTORS INFLUENCE THE DREAMS SUCH AS;
VITAMIN B6:
• RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT PEOPLE WHO CONSUME B6 BEFORE BED HAVE CLEARER
RECOLLECTIONS OF THEIR DREAMS, SO CONSUMING FISH, BANANAS, TOFU, OR AVOCADOS
WITH DINNER MAY HELP YOU REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS WHEN YOU WAKE
SLEEP POSITION:
• STUDIES HAVE FOUND THAT RIGHT-SIDE SLEEPERS EXPERIENCED MORE POSITIVE DREAMS
AND FEWER NIGHTMARES THAN LEFT-SIDE SLEEPERS.
SMOKING:
• QUITTING SMOKING, BOTH CIGARETTES AND CANNABIS, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BOOST
DREAM VIVIDNESS AND RECOLLECTION

8. PROGESTERONE:
• OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH REPRODUCTION, PROGESTERONE IS RELEASED AFTER
OVULATION IN THE SECOND HALF OF SOMEONE’S MENSTRUAL CYCLE, BUT IT CAN
ALSO INTENSIFY YOUR DREAMS
• ONE 2019 STUDY FOUND THAT THOSE IN THE LUTEAL PHASE OF THEIR MENSTRUAL
CYCLE (WHERE PROGESTERONE LEVELS ARE HIGHER), HAVE BETTER LUCK
REMEMBERING THEIR DREAMS
SPICY FOODS:
• WE’VE TALKED A LOT LATELY ABOUT THE LINKS BETWEEN GUT HEALTH AND THE
BRAIN, AND SLEEPING IS NO EXCEPTION
• ANY FOOD THAT IS VERY SPICY, RICH, OR SUGAR CAN CAUSE A DRAMATIC RISE AND
FALL IN BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS, LEADING TO UPSETTING DREAMS

9. WHAT ARE LUCID DREAMS
• LUCID DREAMS ARE WHEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU’RE DREAMING WHILE YOU’RE
ASLEEP. YOU’RE AWARE THAT THE EVENTS ASHING THROUGH YOUR BRAIN AREN’T
REALLY HAPPENING
• BUT THE DREAM FEELS VIVID AND REAL
WHEN DO LUCID DREAMS HAPPEN?
• LUCID DREAMS ARE MOST COMMON DURING RAPID EYE MOVEMENT (REM) SLEEP, A
PERIOD OF VERY DEEP SLEEP YOU USUALLY ENTER REM SLEEP ABOUT 90 MINUTES
AFTER FALLING ASLEEP. IT LASTS ABOUT 10 MINUTES. AS YOU SLEEP, EACH REM
PERIOD IS LONGER THAN THE ONE BEFORE, FINALLY LASTING UP TO AN HOUR

10. LUCID DREAMS RESEARCH
• FOR ONE THING, STUDIES HAVE FOUND PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES IN THE BRAINS OF
PEOPLE WHO DO AND DON’T HAVE LUCID DREAMS
• THE VERY FRONT PART OF THE BRAIN, CALLED THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX -- THE SITE
OF HIGH-LEVEL TASKS LIKE MAKING DECISIONS AND RECALLING MEMORIES -- IS
BIGGER IN PEOPLE WHO HAVE LUCID DREAMS
• BENEFITS: BETTER MOTOR SKILLS IMPROVED PROBLEM- SOLVING MORE
CREATIVITY LESS ANXIETY
• DANGERS: LESS SLEEP QUALITY CONFUSION, DELIRIUM, AND HALLUCINATIONS

11. RECURRING DREAMS
• A recurring dream is a dream which is experienced repeatedly over a
long period
• Dream researchers believe that recurring dreams occur because you’re
dealing with unresolved issues that are causing you stress
The longer you avoid addressing the problem, the more likely you are to
have the same dream over and over again
Common themes in Recurring Dreams:
Losing control of a vehicle • Falling from a very high place • Drowning •
Having the ability to fly • Being chased by an animal

12. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH RECURRING DREAMS
• ANXIETY
• POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
• OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER • EPILEPSY
STOPPING RECURRING DREAMS:
• THERAPY OR COUNSELING
• EXERCISE
• RELAXATION EXERCISES
• DISCUSSING YOUR DREAMS
• MAINTAINING GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE

13. PRE-COGNITIVE DREAMS
• PRECOGNITIVE DREAMS, IN SIMPLE TERMS, ARE ANY DREAMS THAT GIVE YOU
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUTURE YOU WOULDN’T OTHERWISE HAVE
• HOWEVER, SOME MAY SAY THAT YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS CREATES THESE DREAMS
FROM ANXIETY ABOUT THE FUTURE
SIGNS OF PRE-COGNITIVE DREAMS:
• THE DREAM IS VIVID
• YOU MAY START LUCID DREAMING
• YOUR INTUITION RECOGNIZES THERE IS SOME LEGITIMACY IN DREAM

14. CAN 2 PEOPLE HAVE SAME DREAMS?
• THOSE WHO BELIEVE THAT SHARED DREAMS ARE GENUINE SAY IT CAN HAPPEN
SPONTANEOUSLY, OR BE PLANNED
• THEY’RE MOST COMMON BETWEEN PEOPLE WHO ARE EMOTIONALLY CLOSE SUCH AS
COUPLES, SIBLINGS, PARENT-CHILD, OR BEST FRIENDS
• A 2017 STUDY EXPLORED THE IDEA THAT SHARED DREAMS COME FROM A DESIRE TO
ENHANCED EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS IN RELATIONSHIPS
• THE MAIN FOCUS WAS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO DREAMERS AND THE STUDY
FOUND THESE DREAMS TENDED TO OCCUR WHEN THE SUBJECTS WERE FEELING A SENSE
OF SEPARATION AND LACK OF INTIMACY IN THEIR DAILY LIVES

15. WHAT IS ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE ON DREAMS?
• HADITH BY THE PROPHET (PBUH) SAID, “A GOOD VISION (RU'YA) IS FROM ALLĀH AND A
BAD DREAM (HULM) IS FROM SATAN; SO IF ONE OF YOU SEES ANYTHING (IN A DREAM
WHICH HE DISLIKES), HE SHOULD SPIT ON HIS LEFT SIDE THRICE AND SEEK REFUGE WITH
ALLĀH FROM ITS EVIL, AND THEN IT WILL NEVER HARM HIM” (SAHIH AL-BUKHARI, 3118).
GOOD VISIONS (RU’YAA)
• THESE CONSTITUTE TRUE OR GOOD DREAMS, WHICH ARE BELIEVED TO BE FROM ALLAH
BAD DREAMS (HULUM)
• BAD DREAMS ARE BELIEVED TO BE FROM SHAITAN. ANYONE WHO SEES A DISTURBING OR
UNPLEASANT DREAM IS ADVISED TO SPIT THRICE ON THE LEFT SIDE IMMEDIATELY AFTER
WAKING UP TO SEEK ALLAH’S PROTECTION AGAINST THE ACCURSED DEVIL

16. SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF DREAMS
DREAMS ARE AMONG THE MOST PERSONAL AND MYSTERIOUS HUMAN EXPERIENCES.. YOU
MAY WAKE FROM SLEEP WITH SHARP AND VIVID RECOLLECTIONS OF A DREAM AND
STRONG RESIDUAL EMOTIONS, ONLY TO LOSE THOSE MEMORIES QUICKLY, OFTEN WITHIN
JUST A FEW MINUTES.
SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF DREAMS IN DIFFERENT WAYS:
• ONE APPROACH TO DREAM INVESTIGATION INVOLVES THE STUDY OF DREAM CONTENT—
THE THEMES, EMOTIONS, IMAGES, AND EVENTS THAT OCCUR AND UNFOLD WITHIN
DREAMS THEMSELVES
• ANOTHER ASPECT OF DREAM RESEARCH LOOKS AT THE ACTIVITY OF THE BRAIN AND
BODY WHILE DREAMING OCCURS.

17. • ARE USED FOR SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION
• DREAM REPORTS ARE COLLECTED IN SLEEP LABORATORIES UNDER CONTROLLED
CONDITIONS, OFTEN WAKING SLEEPERS AT SPECIFIC INTERNALS IN ORDER TO RETRIEVE
DREAM INFORMATION
• DREAM REPORTS HAVE ALLOWED SCIENTISTS TO TRACK THE HUMAN CAPACITY TO
DREAM AS IT DEVELOPS THROUGHOUT CHILDHOOD
• DREAM REPORTS HAVE ENABLED SCIENTISTS TO COMPARE DREAM CONTENT ACROSS
CULTURES, TO HIGHLIGHT DIFFERENCES IN THE WAYS THAT MEN AND WOMEN TEND TO
DREAM, AND TO EXPLORE ASSOCIATIONS AND CONNECTIONS BETWEEN DREAMING AND
WWAKING LIFE
• THE FIRST TIME DETAILED DATA ABOUT THE ACTIVITY OF THE SLEEPING BRAIN WAS
REVEALED IN THE 1950S BY USING ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY (EEG)
Dream reports and Dream journals

18. TOOLS AND METHODS
• EEG STUDIES LED TO THE
IDENTIFICATION OF THE DIFFERENT
STAGES OF SLEEP, INCLUDING REM SLEEP,
WITH ITS HIGHLY ACTIVE AND VARIABLE
BRAIN ACTIVITY
• RESEARCH OF REM SLEEP USING EEG
ENABLED SCIENTISTS TO MAKE THE FIRST
ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN REM SLEEP AND
DREAMING. EEG REMAINS THE MOST
COMMON TOOL THAT SCIENTISTS IN
LABORATORY USE TO OBSERVE THE BRAIN
DURING SLEEP. CELLS WITHIN THE BRAIN
COMMUNICATE WITH ELECTRICAL IMPULSE

19. • BRAIN IMAGING TOOLS, INCLUDING FMRI, ARE ALSO NOW USED REGULARLY TO
CAPTURE DATAABOUT THE NEURAL ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH SLEEP AND
DREAMING
• FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (FMRI)
• WORKS BY RECORDING BLOOD OXYGEN LEVELS AND BLOOD FOW THROUGHOUT THE
BRAIN. HIGHER LEVELS OF ACTIVITY IN THE BRAIN REQUIRE MORE OXYGEN AND
GREATER BLOOD FLOW, AND FMRI ALLOWS SCIENTISTS TO IDENTIFYAREAS OF THE
BRAIN THAT ARE SOAKING UP OXYGEN WHILE DREAMING IS TAKING PLACE
• RECENT STUDIES USING BRAIN-IMAGING TECHNIQUES HAVE PROVIDED SCIENTISTS
WITH NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LUCID DREAMING, A FORM OF
DREAMING IN WHICH THE DREAMER POSSESSES AWARENESS OF BEING IN A DREAM,
AND CAN MANIPULATE AND CONTROL THEIR DREAMS
• SOME DREAM RESEARCHERS ARE USING A TECHNIQUE CALLED NEURAL DECODING
TO BOTH DECIPHER AND EVEN PREDICT VISUAL IMAGEING IN DREAMS, BASED ON
OBSERVATIONS OF BRAIN ACTIVITY