Sleeping and Dreaming

Sleeping and Dreaming

Everyone needs eight hours of sleep a night to maintain sound mental and physical health. That is a myth. Along with genetics and circadian rhythms, one important factor that helps determine the amount of sleep a person needs nightly is stage of life. Newborns sleep an average of 16 to 18 hours a day. By the age of one, children usually sleep 13 to 14 hours with that number decreasing until they reach adolescence. Teenagers generally require at least eight and a half hours of sleep a day. Some researchers go so far as to say that teens need more than nine and a half hours each day. With the pressures of academics, athletics, dating, etc., few teens are getting enough sleep these days. Also, teens' internal biological clocks tend to keep them awake later in the evening and let them sleep later in the morning than adults. Some high schools have found that ringing the first bell an hour or so later have helped the performance of students. Most adults need around eight hours of sleep to function well. Although many people claim they require less, only 10% require significantly more or less sleep. For adult women, pregnancy and menopause can cause significant changes in sleep patterns. In the first three months of pregnancy, mothers-to-be often require significantly more sleep than usual. Scientists are just beginning to research how menopause effects sleep. They have found that menopause tends to cause a decline in the quality of sleep and can lead to insomnia, snoring and sleep apnea. These changes may be due to changes in hormonal function and the psychological factors associated with menopause or may be caused by the aging process and weight gain associated with menopause.

Some people never dream that is a myth because we all dream, every single night. In fact, we probably have three or four dreams each night, depending upon the depth and length of our sleep. Some people never recall their dreams, while others value and remember their dreams each morning. I believe our dreams are a wonderful resource for helping understand our secret fears and desires. Dreams connect us with our innermost selves. Although some say they never dream, it is really a matter of they don't want to remember or have not trained themselves to remember. What is important is that dreams affect everyone and their messages hold great meaning for us. The bottom line is developing a greater sense of awareness. We really cannot complain about the world around us if we have not developed greater awareness of our thoughts and attitudes. We are each mental creators and our dreams point this out very clearly, once we understand the language of dreams.

Falling dreams are another theme that is quite common in the world of dreams. Contrary to a popular myth, you will not actually die if you do not wake up before your hit the ground during a fall. As with most common dream themes, falling is an indication of insecurities, instabilities,