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Everyone dreamsevery single nightand yet we tend to know so little about our
dreams. Where do they come from? What do they mean? Can we control them and
should we try to interpret them? We spoke to the dream experts to bring you nine
surprising facts about dreams. Read before snoozing.
1. Dreaming can help you learn.
If youre studying for a test or trying to learn a new task, you might consider taking a nap
or heading to bed early rather than hovering over a textbook an hour longer. Heres
why: When the brain dreams, it helps you learn and solve problems, say researchers at
Harvard Medical School. In a study that appeared in a recent issue of Current Biology,
researchers report that dreams are the brains way of processing, integrating and
understanding new information. To improve the quality of your sleepand your brains
ability to learnavoid noise in the bedroom, such as the TV, which may negatively
impact the length and quality of dreams.
2. Just like men, women can have orgasms during dreams.
Did you think only men experience this phenomenon? Not true, says Barbara Bartlik,
MD, a psychiatrist and sex therapist in New York. Warning, further reading may produce
blushing: Women have orgasms during their sleep, just as men do, she says. These
orgasms often accompany erotic dreams, but they also may occur during dreams of a
nonerotic nature. When women dream, she says, its not uncommon for their genitals
to become engorged and lubricated. This occurs during REM sleep, which happens
several times during the night, she says. A similar thing happens to men. Men get
erections during REM sleep, whether or not the man is having an erotic dream.
3. The most common dream? Your spouse is cheating.
If youve ever woken up in a cold sweat after dreaming about your husbands
extramarital escapade with your best friend, youre not alone, says Lauri Quinn
Loewenberg, a dream expert, author and media personality. The most commonly
reported dream is the one where your mate is cheating, she says. Loewenberg
conducted a survey of more than 5,000 people, and found that the infidelity dream is the
can be used as a relaxation tool, but Dr. Bulkeley says it can also help your mind
process a puzzling dream. It creates a more fluid interaction between unconscious
parts of the mind and wakeful parts of the mind, he says.
Sarah Jio is the health and fitness blogger for Glamour.com. Visit her blog, Vitamin G.