All dreams are affairs of mere seconds

All dreams are affairs of mere seconds. Within ten seconds you will experience dreams wherein the events of several years happen.- Swami Sivananda

I've always been fascinated by dreams

"I've always been fascinated by dreams. My recent run of intense dreaming brought to mind a trip I took in the mid 80s to Luxor in Egypt and a tour of the Luxor Temple with its "sleep chambers." These chambers are where the high priests and priestesses would retire after they had prepared, through prayer and meditation, to receive in their sleep divine guidance and inspiration. In stark contrast to our modern habit of drugging ourselves senseless, hoping to "crash" for a few hours before having to face another frantic day, the ancient Egyptians went to sleep expectantly. This spiritual preparation for sleep allowed them to bring back remnants of their dreams and notes from their night's travels." - Arianna Huffington, from: 'Sleep Challenge 2010'

Reactions to dreams

The reactions to dreams differ according to mental disposition, temperament and diet of the person.- Swami Sivananda

Marijuana and Dreams

Many people who smoke marijuana report having no dreams, yet after they quit, the same people report extremely vivid and intense dreams. Most vivid dreams take place during REM sleep, so the logical scientific question is "Does marijuana (THC) affect REM sleep?" A study conducted in 1975 compared the sleep patterns of experienced marijuana users with non-smokers. The results showed reduced eye movement activity and less REM sleep in the THC condition. They also reported a REM rebound effect, which is more REM activity upon withdrawal from THC. Scientific evidence exists that correlates marijuana use with a loss of REM sleep and dreams, so the next time you smoke marijuana and don’t remember your dreams you will know why.
By BryanJ / Source: The List Universe

Whatever the reason

Whatever the reason, I suddenly find myself in possession of a rich and compelling dream life. But here's the catch: for the last week or so, I've woken up with my mind buzzing, excited by the dream I'd just had. But I haven't had the time to write my dreams down. Getting a full 8 hours has pushed my schedule to the limit, so when I get up I need to move pretty quickly to the first thing on my schedule. - Arianna Huffington

Animals and Dreams

We can’t be 100% sure that animals dream in a similar way as humans, but they do enter into a state of REM sleep. REM sleep occurs in all mammals, although it excludes the egg-laying monotremes of Australia. The sentinel hypothesis of REM sleep, which was put forward by Frederic Snyder in 1966, proposes that many mammals wake-up immediately after entering into REM sleep, leading him to infer that the process was being used as a defense mechanism. Many birds also show signs of REM sleep, but reptiles and other cold-blooded animals do not. The echidna does enter into REM sleep, but only if its environment is around 25°C. Dogs and cats also experience this stage of sleep. - By BryanJ / Source: The List Universe