The 4 Types of Dreams

The 4 Types of Dreams

A couple of times, we might catch ourselves being amazed at what happens inside our minds in our sleep. Dreams and the act of dreaming have always been so fascinating to us that we have made the creation of dream journals popular. In addition to the popularity of having our dreams interpreted, even utilizing dream dictionaries has become common. Despite this, we cannot deny that we know only so little about our dreams in general. To understand dreams, take a look at these 4 general types of dreams:

1. 1. Daydreams:

      Daydreams occur while we are shifting through moments of wakefulness and sleep. On average, we spend up to 2 hours of our day daydreaming. As we all know, daydreams occur not in our sleep but in our waking hours. It starts with a conscious thought, which would then progress to something like a fantasy, as we begin to lose track of reality and let our imagination take charge.

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      A lot of people choose to daydream about moments they want to become true – a student stuck in a boring class would daydream about traveling to Paris instead, or a man in a snow-filled place would daydream about surfing on the beach during summer. These daydreams are known to be healthy on most occasions as they release us from the stresses or frustrations that we are experiencing in reality. However, we should all remember that everything that happens in our daydreams is only our imagination.

      

   2. Normal Dreams:

      Like daydreams, normal dreams are also more commonly experienced. On average, we experience almost 2 hours of this every night when we sleep. Within this period, we experience many dreams, and it is known that in the moments right before we wake up, we experience dreams that are more vivid than the others; but not many would be able to remember more than one when we wake up the next morning.

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      When we have these dreams, we have no control over what happens in them and we are not conscious that we are in fact, only dreaming. We feel that these dreams are not only figments of our imagination but our reality, but only until we wake up from our sleep. It is believed that what we dream about is a reflection of our reality in the immediate past, but this is not the case all the time.

Types of Dreams

1. 1. Nightmares:

      This type of dream is the same as your normal dreams, except that these dreams are associated with feelings of intense fear and anxiety. We would usually wake up from nightmares feeling scared. This happens because throughout the time we’ve been dreaming, we have established that the dream is our reality. And oftentimes, because of this, nightmares can trigger responses within our bodies and we could feel physical pain from them. This type of dream is known to possibly be a result of a bad experience or personal trauma in the past. If you experience regular nightmares, it is best advised that you seek professional help.

      

   2. Lucid Dreams:

      Lucid dreams are typically the opposite of normal dreams. When you are experiencing normal dreams, you establish your dreams as your reality. You do not have the slightest idea that you are only dreaming. In lucid dreams, on the other hand, you are aware that you are dreaming. You can even control your reactions and movements in your dream (if you are a part of it) through enough practice. Also, you could be able to control every single part of your dream.

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      Also, when we wake up from a normal dream, we can recall it only vaguely. It is only for a short period before we forget it. But lucid dreams are again different. They can be remembered vividly – as clearly as a real experience or a memory. Lucid dreaming is a skill that nowadays has been gaining popularity.
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      If you want to experience having control over your dreams, you can always try and learn. Practice it by yourself.

So there you have it – the most common and widely known types of dreams. Now you know all about them. You can finally begin to understand your dreams and what they are trying to tell.