Dreams are constituents of our life

Dreams are constituents of our life. I have heard, about one-third of our total life is spent in sleeping. Thus one-third part of our total life, we live in world of dreams. Dreams sometimes make us feel happy, sometimes we get those things in dreams which we are unable to possess in reality, sometimes dreams are so miserable that in waking states we feel and thank God and Sai Baba ji for making it only a dream and request not to turn them into a reality. Sai Baba ji has always been gracious to His devotees to give them those visions and dreams which carry deeper meanings of the messages which He wants to convey. One such dream of mine is narrated in this post.
- SAI TERE HAZAARON NAAM

Taijasa is the dreaming state

The person who experiences the three states, viz., Jagrat or waking-state, Svapna or the dreaming state, and Sushupti or deep-sleep state is called Visva in the waking state, Taijasa in the dreaming state and Prajna in the deep sleep state. When one gets up from sleep, it is Visva who remembers the experience of Prajna in deep sleep and says, “I slept soundly. I do not know anything.” Otherwise remembrance of the enjoyment in deep sleep is not possible.- Swami Sivananda

According to the Buddhist teachings

According to the Buddhist teachings, we spend most of our time in this world in a kind of daydream. Within our "daydream" we are relating to what is going in our world but our sense of reality is heavily filtered by memories, habitual patterns of our mind, projections about the future etc. etc. etc. During the night, when we are "asleep," our story lines continue in the form of night dreams. - David Nichtern

During the dreaming state

The objects which manifest during the dreaming state are often not different in many respects from those which one perceives during his waking state. During the dreaming state he talks with the members of his family and friends, eats the same food, behold rivers, mountains, motor cars, gardens, streets, ocean, temples, works in the office, answers question papers in the examination hall, and fights and quarrels with some people. This shows that man does not abandon the results of his past relation with objects when he falls asleep.- Swami Sivananda

Your Brain is Active When You Dream

Studies have provided evidence suggesting tremendous variation in brain activity during sleep. This has been demonstrated using EEG technology. Scientists have identified five distinct stages of sleep, characterized by differences in brain activity. Stages 1-4 and a final stage labeled rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. When awakened during REM sleep, subjects report dreaming. With the development of new brain imaging technology in the early 1990’s we learned even more about brain activity during REM sleep. Researchers found that certain areas of the brain are extremely active during the REM sleep state, even more active than being awake. Studies have shown that certain visual areas of the human cortex, which decode complex visual scenes, are significantly more active during REM sleep. Intense activity is also observed in the limbic system, which is a set of structures heavily involved in human emotion.
- By BryanJ / Source: The List Universe

According to Sigmund Freud

According to Sigmund Freud all dreams without any exception are wish-fulfilment. The physical stimulus alone is not responsible for the production of dreams. The dream mechanism is very intricate. The wishes are of an immoral nature. They are revolting to the moral self, which exercises a control on their appearance. Therefore, the wishes appear in disguised forms to evade the moral censor. Very few dreams present the wishes as they really are. Dreams are partial gratification of the wishes. They relieve the mental tension and thus enable us to enjoy repose. They are safety valves to strong impulsions. You will know your animal-self in dream.
- Swami Sivananda

I'm not waking up longing to sleep more

One result of my getting more -- and better -- sleep has been an increase in the intensity of my dreams. I'm not sure if my dreams are actually more intense, vivid, and interesting, or if they only seem that way because I'm not waking up longing to sleep more. - Arianna Huffington

When japa is well performed

When japa is well performed and the sincere desire is maintained to transcend the forces of the physical body and enter into the astral schools of learning, the aspirant would have dreamless nights. A deep sleep would prevail. There may be a few seconds of dreaming just before awakening, to which one should not pay any attention, as the astral body quickly reenters the physical. But a deep, dreamless sleep is in itself an indicator that the purusha is totally detached from the physical forces and totally intact and functioning in the Devaloka. Himalayan Academy is an academy in the Devaloka in which rishis of the Nandinatha Sampradaya teach, help and guide tens of thousands of devotees of God Siva who have been influenced by the words and teachings of our sampradaya. - from Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami