Dreams have fascinated people for a long time yet we still are not sure what the exact cause or reason for why we dream. There’s a couple of  theories that dreaming is to help us deal with emotions, solve problems, or manage hidden desires. Dreams do help us store memories and things we have learned, a study in both animals and humans by Sleep Review shows that dreams are a sort of rehearsal of new information. These rehearsals allow our brain to put the information to use in our day to day lives. 

There are people who believe dreams have a more supernatural meaning behind them and that certain events happening within your dreams could represent inner desires or the intentions of those around you. For example, some popular/common thoughts are that falling in dreams signifies someone could be wishing ill intent towards you. Another common belief is that being chased in your dream signifies a past situation coming back or you ignoring something major in your life. 

Although, there are negative aspects to dreams there are also positives as well. Dreaming of ripe fruit or blooming plants is thought to indicate that a blessing is in the near future. Sitting by a clear and calm river could mean peace and clarity is soon to come if you have been stressed or you are about to enter a more peaceful time in your life. Climbing places or objects could show your desire to overcome obstacles in your life or how you are overcoming obstacles. 

I got to talk to an Anonymous Student about a dream that they have had that was impactful. “I fell asleep like any normal night and suddenly I got a feeling in my stomach while still sleeping and all of a sudden I couldn’t breathe it felt as if someone was pushing down on my chest  and it was a feeling in the pit of your stomach. I knew I was asleep and I couldn’t wake up. When I finally forced myself out of my dream I couldn’t physically move but I was awake and I began to panic, eventually I snapped out of it. The following morning I decided to look into the meaning of the dream and I found it had to do with a bunch of emotions coming to the surface at once.”