Dreams: Sleep, nightmares and the basics
Articles about sleep, nightmares and the basics in the Dreams section: what sleep science observes and what popular tradition links to each theme.
Sleep, nightmares and the basics (9)
Dream meanings: what science and culture actually say
Why we dream, which dreams are most common, and how to look at a dream without falling for superstition.
Nightmares: why they happen and how to have fewer
Being chased, falling, losing someone: nightmares follow similar scripts for almost everyone. What science knows about them, what helps reduce them and when treatment exists.
Night terrors: what they are and how they differ from nightmares
Your child sits up screaming, looks awake but does not recognize you, and remembers nothing the next day. That is a night terror, and it is different from a nightmare. How to recognize it and what to do.
Recurring dreams: why the same dream keeps coming back
The same school, the same fall, the same hallway with no way out. Dreams that return for months or years are common and often tied to something unresolved. What research observes and what helps.
Lucid dreaming: what it is, how it happens and what science knows
You are in the middle of a dream and suddenly realize: "this is a dream." Sometimes you can even change what happens. What science knows about lucid dreaming and what studies say about the techniques.
Sleep paralysis: why it happens and what to do
Waking up unable to move, with pressure on your chest and a sense of presence in the room. Here is what science has explained.
Dreaming about ghosts or spirits: what it usually reflects
A shadow in the corner of the room, the feeling that someone is there, a see-through figure passing through the door. Ghost dreams are frightening, but more common than you might think. What they usually reflect and when they may be something else.
Dreaming about angels: what this dream usually reflects
A figure of light, a calm voice, the feeling of being protected. Dreaming about an angel tends to leave a strong, good impression when you wake up, and it appears more often in times of faith, grief or a search for comfort.
Dreaming about demons: what this dream usually reflects
A dark figure in the corner of the room, a weight on your chest, the sense of an evil presence and a body that will not respond. Dreaming about a demon is one of the most frightening nightmares, and many of these experiences have a known explanation in sleep.