Dreams: Between

Myth and Science

Presented By:
Abdelrahman Elshafei
Outline

Sleep cycles and dreams meaning.

Real facts and numbers about dreaming.

Recurrent dreams and lucid dreams.

Dreams in ancient cultures.

Sleeping tips.
Sleep cycles
Dreaming

 A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually

occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.
 Dreams mainly occur in the rapid-eye movement (REM) stage of sleep.
 Dreams may occur during other stages of sleep. However, these dreams tend to be
much less vivid or memorable.
 Whether you remember it or not, you dream every night!
Facts and numbers

Our dreams vary in length: they may last for just a few seconds,
and they may last for 20 - 30 minutes. 

The average human spends 6 years of his life dreaming.

Humans tend to have 3 – 7 dreams a night.

People remember about 10% only of their dreams. 

Facts and numbers

Animals also dream!!

Facts and numbers

 Low stress means happy dreams.

Around 12 percent of people dream in black and white.

Faces are familiar, you can only dream about faces you’ve already seen in
person or on TV.

THIS MAN!!
 This man

 This man was a person who was claimed to have been

 Theories: repeatedly seen in dreams by the whole world since
•A corporation2006,
was mentally conditioning
but was never found inmultiple
real life.people
How?to dream the same
man.
•Some people dreamt the man only after learning about him.
•Because it's hard for humans to remember people's faces in dreams, people
are inaccurately using This Man to describe the person in their recurring
dreams.
 Recurrent dreams

 Recurrent dreams are assumed to reveal the presence of unresolved conflicts or stress in
an individual’s life. Here are some psychiatrist interpretations:

 Losing teeth: This is a dream you may have when moving through a transition in life

Being chased: The degree to which you are being chased gives a clear indication of the
degree to which you are avoiding an issue that needs to be addressed.

Tidal Wave dream: represents overwhelming emotions such as helplessness and fear.

 Lucid dream

 A type of dreams where the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming. 

 An estimated 55 % of people have had one or more lucid dreams in their lifetime.

 Lucid dreaming usually happens spontaneously. However, it’s possible to learn how to lucid
dream through various methods.
Ex: Reality testing (Mirrors, hard objects, hands).

       Keeping a dream journal.

       lay down and relax until you experience a hallucination. (Inspirational for some people)

 Negative aspects might include: Sleeping problems, memory problems, depression and sleep
paralysis.
Dreams in ancient cultures

 People have been fascinated by dreams for thousands of years and cultures around the world
have developed their own traditions for interpreting dreams.

 Sumerians: Viewed their dreams as signs sent from gods. People had their dreams
translated by “dream priests” who foretold the dreamer’s future.

 Ancient Egypt: They also viewed dreams as messages from gods and created their own
Dream Book. Egyptians celebrated rituals, gave sacrifices and recited prayers in hopes that
their dreams would reveal fragments of the future.
Dreams in ancient cultures

 Rome: Augustus, the successor of Julius Cesar, believed so strongly in the

prophetic nature of dreams that he created a law requiring every citizen who
had a dream about the empire, to talk about it on the market in their town.

 The existence of unfair or unpopular laws was justified by the fact that they
were suggested in dreams. 
Sleeping tips

 Stick to a sleep schedule.

 Avoid prolonged use of light-emitting screens just before bedtime.

 Eat—but not too much.

 The best sleep temperature for most people is between 20 and 23 degrees.

 Take a relaxing bath or shower.

 Limit daytime naps.

 Caffeine can significantly worsen sleep quality, Don’t consume caffeine late in the day.
 Thank you
Sleep well and have happy
dreams