Conquered my nightmares

"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams." — Jonas Salk

Awakened being

There has certainly been an interesting stream of posts this month regarding sleep. I wanted to jump in and participate, but what I came up with, after contemplating the whole topic for some time, was to look further into what it means to actually be awake. I can't really help it, I'm a Buddhist and as a Buddhist I am trying to follow Buddha's example of an "awakened being" --- but what does that really mean? - David Nichtern, Senior Shambhala Buddhist teacher

Epic dreams are extremely vivid and can be life changing

Epic dreams are extremely vivid and can be life changing. These dreams are so compelling that they will often generate a greater awareness of your natural surroundings. Epic dreams will give you a fresh and new perspective on an aspect of life. When you wake up from an epic dream you will feel as if you have discovered something profound or amazing. The epic dream will remain with you for years. People who experience these types of dreams often report a continuous storyline that constitutes an entirely different and ongoing life. Many people sleep during their epic dreams, having a dream within itself. - By BryanJ / Source: The List Universe

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