Most people have, at some point, probably had a strange or prophetic dream. What are these dreams like, and why do they occur?

Often, people have dreams based on things that have happened in real life. Scientifically, experts say, the most vivid or memorable dreams occur during REM, or rapid eye movement, cycles, which is when people are in their deepest sleep. It is not certain why humans have the dreams they do, but many believe that dreams are subconscious thoughts that continue while we rest.

Sometimes people have dreams relating to events that occurred throughout their day. Leo Glassman, a junior, said, “I had a dream that I was Italian. I was speaking Italian in Italy with other people, and I lived there. It happened about a year ago, the same day I had been practicing Italian with a server in a restaurant.”

Dreams can also express the emotions of the dreamer, such as envy, love, or even hunger. “I had a dream that I was with one of my friends from when I was really little. We were in Tokyo with both of our families, and all of a sudden when we were walking down the street, a giant baked potato came barreling down the street. I don’t know if it was because I was hungry or something, but it was super weird,” explained freshman Erin Quinlan.

Grace Mata, a freshman, described a very vivid dream she once had. “When I was around ten or eleven, I dreamt that I came home from school, put my key in the door to my apartment, and when I took the key back out, it started to glow green. Then, I walked into my house, and my house was a mall. I would look into the store windows and say, ‘Oh, I wish I had that.’ Then, the key would glow really bright and the thing I wanted would appear in my hand. Then, I realized the key was magical, so I wished to be part of the Scooby Doo gang, and it happened. But the gang and I were running away from these trees that were alive, and one of them ate me.”

Sometimes, people wake up from dreams suddenly, and forget them shortly after. Most claim this happens if something else wakes them up, or if they think something bad will happen to them in the dream. Many say they have had dreams where they were falling, and woken up with the sensation of falling.

Dreams can also be associated with the things people see and hear, such as the songs they listen to or the television shows they watch. “I had a dream that I was on a mission with the guys from Supernatural. Something happened that made me wake up and write it down at 5am, which is probably the only reason I remember it,” recalls freshman Tierney O’Brien.

Lynbrook Schools Psychologist Jordan Richman commented, “We, as people, are always thinking- even when we are sleeping and in an altered conscious state. I think it’s one of the reasons why meditation is so popular and helpful; we train our minds to limit the thinking, so to speak. Sometimes we dream about realistic situations and at other times more abstract stuff. A lot of times, dreams are about problem-solving or dealing with emotions that are deeper within us.”

People have also claimed to have experienced very lucid dreams. This is an uncommon type of dream which is very rarely had, but where dreamers know that they are in a dream. Some say that one can train him or herself to be able to have more cogent, coherent dreams. Koby Lazar, a senior, says, “When I was younger, I’d often have lucid dreams that I could actually partially control. I remember flying in the solar system one time, and deciding to go to Mars. That also happened to be at the time when I was obsessed with space travel.” Richman also recalled a vivid dream from his childhood. “I once had a lucid dream as a kid. I dreamt I was being robbed or mugged, but in the middle of the dream, I yelled at the guy, ‘Go ahead, attack me. You can’t hurt me, it’s only a dream,’” he added.

Studies have shown that sometimes dreams are related to emotional states. If one is upset or nervous about something, he or she may have a dream about that thing. Or, if people are anxious, they sometimes dream about bad things that could happen to them. If people are extremely happy, they may dream about happy things. Dreams are often strange and random, as well.