Dreaming sleep is characterized by rapid eye movements known as REM. The longest recorded period of REM is one of 3 hrs 8 mins by David Powell (USA) at the Puget Sound Sleep Disorder Center, Seattle, Washington, USA on 29 April 1994.
REM sleep is revealed by continuous movements of the eyes during sleep. At times, dreams may occur during other stages of sleep. However, these dreams tend to be much less vivid or memorable. The length of a dream can vary; they may last for a few seconds, or approximately 20–30 minutes.
But experts can provide estimates about how long you may spend dreaming. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average person dreams four to six times per night. You might spend as much as 2 hours in dreamland over the course of a night's sleep, reports the National Institutes of Health.
REM sleep can last between 5 and 45 minutes, with each REM cycle longer than the last. Lauri Quinn Loewenberg, a dream expert and author, said, “The first dream of the night is about five minutes long, and the last dream you have before awakening can be 45 minutes to an hour long.”
Each hour in the real world would take two years and four months in the dream state.
During non-REM sleep, the thalamus is inactive, but during REM sleep, when we are dreaming, the thalamus is active, sending the cerebral cortex images, sounds, and sensations, which is why we are able to hear, feel, and see in our dreams similarly to how we do when we are awake.
“Since dreams are thought to primarily occur during REM sleep, the sleep stage when the MCH cells turn on, activation of these cells may prevent the content of a dream from being stored in the hippocampus – consequently, the dream is quickly forgotten.”
Stressed caused by traumatic events, such as a death of a loved one, sexual abuse, or a car accident can also cause vivid dreams. Anxiety, in particular, is associated with an increased risk of disturbing and intense nightmares.
As the night progresses, however, non-REM stages shorten and the REM periods grow, giving us a 40-minute dreamscape just before waking.
The longest time a human being has gone without sleep is 11 days and 25 minutes. The world record was set by … American 17-year-old Randy Gardner in 1963.
So, if you think you spent the whole night you're dreaming, its actually not true. Dreams can last from a few seconds to 45 minutes to 2 hours. The majority of dreams last between 10-20 minutes. We only dream a few minutes during our REM phase.
Although some theorists have suggested that pain sensations cannot be part of the dreaming world, research has shown that pain sensations occur in about 1% of the dreams in healthy persons and in about 30% of patients with acute, severe pain.
1. Being chased. Being chased is one of the most common nightmares. If you dream that you're being chased by something, whether it's an 8-foot-tall rabbit or a shrouded figure, then it's an indicator that you're running away from something or someone in real life.
The most obvious dream killer is fear in its manifold forms. Obvious fears that undermine our dreams and goals are fears of failure, loss and rejection. Less commonly recognized fears include fear of success, higher expectations and increased responsibilities.
On its own, not dreaming is no cause for concern, and there are even a few things you can do to encourage dream memory. When a lack of dreaming is due to lack of quality sleep, that's another story. Poor sleep could be a sign of a physical or mental health problem. Chronic sleep problems can harm your overall health.
Some of the oddities of dreams may be a manifestation of what happens when the brain makes metaphorical connections as we sleep. In waking life, we think in metaphors, knowing how to interpret them as metaphors. But when we think in metaphors during REM sleep, the brain can interpret those metaphors literally.
Our brain is not fully developed when we are born—it continues to grow and change during this important period of our lives. And, as our brain develops, so does our memory.
Dreaming may be a cultural universal, but it is clear that some individuals recall few or no dreams over many years—and that these individuals suffer no ill consequences from their apparent inability to dream. Dream recall may not be necessary for mental, physical, or cultural health.
Experiencing recurring dreams may point at underlying issues regardless of the dream's content. Adults who experience frequent recurring dreams tend to have worse psychological health than those who do not, and many experts theorize that these dreams may be a way to work through unmet needs or process trauma.
Waking up Crying From a Dream
The sensations you feel while sleeping and the emotions you experience before bed may cause you to wake up crying. If you wake up crying from a bad dream, that is your body's response to the weight of the suppressed emotion.
Lucid dreams are when you know that you're dreaming while you're asleep. You're aware that the events flashing through your brain aren't really happening. But the dream feels vivid and real. You may even be able to control how the action unfolds, as if you're directing a movie in your sleep.
Lucid dreaming happens when you're aware that you're dreaming. Often, you can control the dream's storyline and environment. It occurs during REM sleep. When used in therapy, lucid dreaming can help treat conditions like recurring nightmares and PTSD.