How Much Do You Know About Dreams

How Much Do You Know About Dreams?

Scientists aren’t exactly sure why we dream, but they’ve put forth many theories. Our nightly adventures may help us rehearse threatening situations, work through emotions and process information. But, for all of the unknowns, there is plenty that researchers do know — and some of it may surprise you.

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​How Much Do You Know About Your Dreams?

Multiple Choice

Which recurring dream is the most common among adults in the United States?

• A house you've lived in or been to

• Falling

• Snakes

• Being chased by someone or something

Falling or floating was the most common dream in a 2022 YouGov poll, followed by: a familiar house, memories from childhood and being chased.

Other common dreams include arriving too late for something, and dreams that centered on school, teachers and studying, said Robert Stickgold, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Even though we tend to remember our bizarre dreams, scientific studies show that most dreams are mundane, said Dylan Selterman, an associate teaching professor in the department of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University, and its resident dream expert.

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Multiple Choice

True or false: Most people dream in black and white.

• True

• False

Dreaming in black and white is a widespread idea, but it isn’t true, Dr. Stickgold said.

In the early days of TV and movies, people reported dreaming in black and white more than they do now, he said. In a 1942 study, around 70 percent of people said that they dreamed this way. When that same study was replicated nearly 60 years later, the number had dropped to under 18 percent.

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Multiple Choice

How much of our night, on average, is spent dreaming?

• Under 15 minutes

• 1 hour

• At least 2 hours

• None of the above

According to the National Institutes of Health, people dream for about two hours each night.

But Dr. Stickgold said that when you included “all forms of thoughts, imagery and emotion you experience when you’re asleep,” the number was closer to at least 3 hours.

We mostly seem to remember the dreams we have right before we wake up, added Dr. Stickgold, who is also a visiting professor at the M.I.T. Media Lab.

Interestingly, someone who wakes up six times during the night is much more likely to remember their dreams than someone who sleeps soundly until morning.

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Multiple Choice

What percentage of everyday dreams are bad dreams and nightmares?

• 25% to 40%

• 50% to 70%

• 10% to 15%

Bad dreams and nightmares compose 10 to 15 percent of our dreams, said Dr. Antonio Zadra, a professor of psychology at the University of Montreal, who conducts research on the topic and co-wrote the book “When Brains Dream” with Dr. Stickgold.

Nightmares are usually described as highly disturbing dreams that awaken the sleeper, Dr. Zadra added.

Nightmares also diminish in frequency as you age, he said. They’re more common in children than adults, and research suggests that young adults have nightmares more often than older adults.

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Multiple Choice

True or false: You can dream that you have woken up.

• True

• False

People can experience so-called false awakenings, where a sleeper fully believes they have woken up, only to discover that it was part of the dream and they haven’t arisen at all, Dr. Stickgold said. Typically, these “dreams within dreams” are realistic scenarios, like having breakfast in the morning and then taking a shower, he said.

In several of Dr. Zadra’s studies featured in “When Brains Dream,” subjects dreamed they woke up and recorded their dreams in a dream diary. They were shocked to find their diaries blank in the morning.

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Multiple Choice

How often does the average person dream?

• A few times a month

• A few times a week

• Every night

Even if you don’t remember it, most of us dream every night, said Dr. Rahul Jandial, a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist at City of Hope Cancer Center in Los Angeles and author of “This Is Why You Dream.”

Research suggests that sensory stimulation like sounds and moving around after you wake up can cause you to forget your dreams, Dr. Stickgold explained. So if you want to try to remember them when you wake up, he said, stay still and keep your eyes closed.

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Multiple Choice

True or false: It’s possible to be aware that you’re dreaming, and even influence your dreams.

• True

• False

Some people experience “lucid dreaming,” in which they know that they’re currently dreaming. They may be able to direct the action of their dreams — and even communicate with the waking world.

A study supported by the National Science Foundation found that when researchers gave audio cues to lucid dreamers, the dreamers were able to respond using eye movements while remaining asleep. They were even able to solve a math problem that way. (Specifically, “what is 8 minus 6?”)

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