Interesting Dream Facts

  • Not all dreams occur during REM sleep.
  • Dreams were first considered to be caused by indigestion or evil spirits.
  • Egyptians created dream dictionaries.
  • The first written dreams were in 4000 BC.
  • One third of our lives is spent sleeping.
  • In the Roman Era, striking and significant dreams were submitted to the Senate for analysis and interpretation.
  • Studies have shown that our brain waves are more active when we are dreaming than when we are awake.
  • Dreamers who are awakened right after REM sleep, are able to recall their dreams more vividly than those who slept through the night until morning.
  • Researchers found that during dreaming REM sleep, males experience erections and females experience increased vaginal blood flow - no matter what the content of the dream. In fact, “wet dreams” may not necessarily coincide with overtly sexual dream content.
  • If you are snoring, then you cannot be dreaming.
  • Nightmares are common in children, typically beginning at around age 3 and occurring up to age 7-8.
  • In a poll, 67% of Americans have experienced Deja Vu in their dreams, occurring more often in females than males.
  • Sleep experts say that counting sleep may actually contribute to sleeplessness rather than entice sleep.
  • The average adult requires between 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
  • Contrary to what may seem logical, vigorous exercising late in the evening raises certain hormone levels, along with your body temperature, both of which make falling asleep more difficult.
  • Prior to the invention of the light bulb, people slept on average for 10 hours a night. Today, people average 6-7 hours of sleep per night.
  • More than 18 million people suffer from sleep apnea, a breathing disorder in which there are actual lapses in breathing as a person sleeps.
  • Approximately 100,000 car crashes are caused each year by drowsy drivers. These accidents result in more than 1,500 fatalities.
  • The quality of your sleep is just as important as getting the right amount of sleep.
  • About 40% of adults snore.
  • A cat sleeps about 12 hours a day.
  • A dog sleeps between 10 and 11 hours daily.
  • A giraffe sleeps only about 2 hours each day.
  • A person will actually die from a lack of sleep before they would from starvation. Starvation would take about two weeks whereas a lack of sleep would prove fatal after only 10 days.
  • You actually burn more calories sleeping than you do watching tv.
  • Research proves that what we learn right before going to sleep is actually remembered longer than what we learn at any other time.
  • It takes the typical person 7 minutes to fall asleep.
  • The temperature of your room has an effect on your dreams. The colder the room, the worse the dreams.
  • The average person has five dreams a night.