Do dreams really come true?

One thing is certain: if you sleep, you dream. Neurologists and other experts have long been trying to ascertain the reason and purpose for our dreams. They generate theories about how dreams work:

for instance, they suspect that when we dream our brain mixes new information with existing experiences and stores these – creating a learning effect. Other theories suggest that dreaming instils practical skills in the brain that may be useful later on. Another theory implies that dangerous situations are simulated in dreams to ensure we are better prepared for these when awake. In terms of evolutionary biology, this would mean that our ancestors fought natural foes in dreams, while we in the 21^st century imagine precarious situations at work.

But another theory is that, ultimately, our dreams could simply be random products of our brain synapses and have absolutely no systematic meaning.

Sleep researchers think that we dream in each of the five sleep phases every night. We go through the phases of falling asleep, light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep and light sleep again about four to six times a night. The REM phase is when our brain is at its most active, noticeable by the onset of rapid eye movement. Since we wake more easily in the REM phase, our memory of dreams is clearest in this phase.

Using the latest investigative techniques such as electrical sensors or magnetic resonance imaging, scientists discovered that dreaming triggers activity primarily in the areas of the brain responsible for our emotions and visual impressions. One of these is the amygdala, responsible for the emotional processing of our memories (e.g. triggers fear) and thereby ensuring that we react appropriately in the event of danger, anger or joy. So dreams are controlled by emotions – one potential reason why they are often so strange!

Countless dream encyclopaedias are physical evidence that people have been trying to decipher the messages behind dream visions since time immemorial. While Sigmund Freud believed dreams to be an expression of unconscious desire and coded messages from our sub-consciousness, modern psychology has progressed since then:

in dreams we are confronted with experiences, situations and fears that play on our minds. Anyone repeatedly dreaming about the same situation can try to find out how they would handle the “dream situation” in real life – and, in doing so, learn how to better respond to this and other problems and calm their fears.

Dream researchers differentiate between basic patterns of dreams: dreams of being chased, dreams of situations outside of your control, and that of an upcoming exam. Even being naked in a totally inappropriate dream situation and the paralysing feeling of being late count among the classic archetypal patterns. But there is no one universally valid interpretation for these dream patterns. Each dream is unique and its meaningful content dependent on the life circumstances of the individual.

And our sleep habits and sleep rituals are just as unique as our dreams. That’s why our RUF | Betten range features box-spring and upholstered beds to meet all design and comfort expectations. Because we think some dreams should come true.