Even today, dream interpretation remains a highly sought after art, and science is continuing to focus on dream interpretation as a way to deal with all kinds of anxieties and other underlying psychological issues.

There are some interesting facts about dreaming that you may not be aware of.  These facts include:

• One third of most people’s lives is spent asleep, and a good portion of that time is spent in dream sleep.

• In the average lifetime, a person will have spent approximately six years in dream sleep, equivalent to more than 2,100 days of dreaming.
• Dreams have existed as long as human beings.  There are records of dreams going back over 4,000 years.
• Dream interpretation has existed almost as long as dreaming, and Roman senators in the ancient world often engaged the services of dream interpreters before making important political and social decisions.
• Every human being dreams.  Even if you do not remember your dreams, you dream between four and seven times a night, every night.
• Many animals dream as well.  All mammals are thought to dream, and it is suspected that some lower animals dream as well.  What they dream about, however, remains a mystery.
• If people are prevented from dreaming, they suffer a variety of personality disorders and psychological problems.  The exact function of dream sleep is still not known, but it is known that dreaming is an indispensable part of life.
• The average person spends two hours per night sleeping, and has from four to seven dreams during that time.
• Even blind people dream.  The dreams of blind people who were previously sighted sometimes contain visual images, while the dreams of those who have been blind from birth do not.  Vision is not the only component of a dream, however.  Dreams also contain sounds, sights, smells and touch sensations.
• Dreams are forgotten very quickly upon waking.  It is estimated that 50% of the content of a dream is lost within five minutes of waking, and after 10 minutes as much as 90% of the dream can be forgotten.
• The word dream is derived from a word in Middle English.  This word, dreme, translates to “music” and “joy”.  It is therefore apparent that dreams have long been looked at as a source of wonder and inspiration.
• Men most often dream about other men, while women tend to dream about men and women equally.
• Studies of brain wave activity have revealed greater activity during dreaming than during waking periods.
• People who are awakened during dream sleep are able to recall their dreams vividly, while those who wait until morning to wake often are not.
• Everyone, men and women, seem to experience sexual arousal during their dreams, regardless of whether or not the content of the dream is overtly sexual.
• Smokers who are trying to quit often report greater intensity in their dreams.
• Studies have shown that toddlers do not dream about themselves.  In general, toddlers do not appear in their own dreams until they reach the age of three or four.
• It is impossible to snore and dream at the same time.
• Children commonly experience nightmares, and these nightmares usually begin by the age of three and last until the child is seven or eight years old.
• More than 60% of people surveyed have reported experiencing Déjà vu in their dreams.  Déjà vu dreams occur more frequently in women than in men.

The meanings of dreams are as personal and unique as the people who dream them.  No one interpretation, no matter how universal, will apply to every dream, dream symbol or dream situation.  When analyzing or interpreting a dream, it is always important to pay attention to the details of the dreams, your feelings within the dream world, and of course, what is going on in your own life.

If you do wish to interpret your dreams, either purely for fun or to pursue personal and spiritual growth, there are a few pointers that will help you get the most from your dream world.

Ø As you awaken, immediately replay the dream scenario in your head.  It is important to do this immediately, preferably before you even open your eyes.  The dream world slips away quickly, and as much as 50% of it can be gone in a mere five minutes.  By the time ten minutes has passed, more than 90% of the dream’s contents may be lost.  Replaying the dream in your head will help you remember more of those tantalizing details.

Ø Immediately write down a description of the dream, focusing on key objects, symbols or feelings.  Write a few words about each key element in the dream quickly, before they are forgotten, they go back later and fill in the gaps.  Again, it is important to write your dream down as quickly as possible.  Keeping a notebook by the bed will be a big help.

Ø Choose a quiet place in your home to begin your interpretation process.  Cutting yourself of from sources of distraction will be very important.  The space you choose should be as quiet and peaceful as possible.  If no such space is available, review your notes a final time, fill in any details you can remember, and come back to them later.

Ø Use your intuition as you review your dream notes and try to make sense of your dream.  You may already know on an instinctual level what your dreams are trying to tell you.  Connecting with your intuition can help you connect with your unconscious mind.  If you meditate, a short meditation session can often be a big help.  Connecting with your inner self is always a huge help when it comes to interpreting and analyzing dreams.

Ø As you review your dream notes, pay close attention to the emotions they stir in you.  Paying close attention to your emotional state, both at this moment and during the dream, can help you to understand what your dream really meant.

Ø Think very carefully about any vivid details, situations, locations, sensations or symbols that make the dream memorable.  Open your heart as well as your mind and carefully explore the possible meaning of each symbol, situation and event.  It may be helpful to jot down the impressions in your dream journal or notebook.  As you search for meaning, don’t limit yourself to obvious interpretations.  For instance, dreaming about a missed appointment could simply mean you are worried about being late for work, but that missed appointment could also symbolize a feeling of missed opportunity in your life.

Ø Running an inner dialog with the people or objects you dreamed about is often helpful as well.  This inner dialog is especially useful when trying to determine why you dreamed about certain people.  Try asking them in your head “why am I dreaming about you?”, “what are you doing in my dream?”.   It is also helpful to know that often people in our dreams are symbols of aspects of our own personality instead of literal people.

Ø If you are stuck for an interpretation, it is a good idea to leave your dream notebook and come back to it later.  It may also be helpful to discuss the dream with others, or to consult an expert on dream interpretation.

The exact meaning of dreams is up to each individual dreamer, since each dream is unique to the mind that created it.  There are many interpretations of virtually any object, place or person encountered in a dream, but each of those objects, people, and places are open to alternate explanations as well.

Those wishing to analyze their own dreams often do so out of a desire to use those dreams to make decisions or gain control over issues in their working life.  Whether you wish to analyze dreams simply for the fun of it or to gain access to your subconscious mind, it is important to capture your dreams properly in order to analyze them.

Keeping a dream journal is a great way to keep track of your dreams, and to look for patterns that may emerge after a few weeks.  Even those who do not have recurring dreams often notice the same themes popping up again and again, and a dream journal can help uncover these connections.

This article will provide you with some times for getting the most out of your dream world, and using that world to improve your waking life.

Immediately upon awakening, play the dream back in your head several times.  Playing the dream back in your mind will help you remember those all important details that are so quickly forgotten.

Be sure to move quickly when recording your dreams.  The dream world is one of the most ethereal, and one of the most easily forgotten.  It is estimated that as much as half of the dream can be forgotten in as little as five minutes, and after as little as ten minutes almost all of the dream can be lost.

Write a quick description of the dream as quickly as possible, focusing on the key symbols and themes of the dream.  Write down any words or descriptions that jump out at you.  It is not necessary to write a full narrative of the dream at this point; simply record how the dream felt, some of the objects that were encountered, and similar details.

After the initial impressions of the dream have been recorded, read over your notes and start filling in the gaps.  The dream narrative can be recorded at this point.

Look for a quiet place in which to start interpreting and analyzing your dream.  It is important to choose an area free of distractions, and to concentrate on what the dream really means.  If no quiet room is available at the moment, take a last look at your notes and come back to them later when you can find a quiet place.

Pay close attention to your feelings as you review your dream notes.  First impressions about the meaning of a dream are often quite accurate.  Also pay attention to the context of the dream, where it took place, and the feelings it engendered both while in the dream world and upon waking.

If you meditate, that can be a big help in trying to capture the deeper meaning of the dream.  A few minutes of quiet meditation can reveal much of the nature of the dream.

In reviewing your dream notes, examine the emotions they stir in you.  Pay attention to the emotional state that existed in the dream.

Pay particular attention to any details that stand out.  Vivid parts of your dream, or those that can be remembered long after the dream, are often the most important.>

When examining you dream and looking for the meaning of symbols, it is important to not limit yourself to  the most common interpretations.  Remember that each dream is as unique as the person who dreamt it.