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Dreaming
One night, you’ve been on a week-long adventure, and the next, you don’t remember a thing. We explore why some dreams feel like they last for days, even though they only last minutes.
4 Min Read | By Holly James
Last Modified 20 December 2024 First Added 20 December 2024
We’ve all experienced dreams that make us question how long we’ve been asleep—the ones that leave us waking up feeling like we’ve lived a whole other life. However, many might be surprised to learn that we actually dream for only about two hours per night, possibly less during a bad night’s sleep. What’s more, even though one vivid adventure might feel like it lasted the entire night, we actually have multiple dreams as we progress through different sleep cycles.
Dreams can occur at various stages of sleep, but they’re most closely linked to REM sleep. This is when the brain is most active, making those vivid dreams feel real, while our muscles are temporarily paralysed to ensure we don’t act them out. The first REM period typically lasts about 10 minutes, and as the night goes on, these cycles grow longer. When dreams happen during REM sleep, studies show they tend to be more vivid and, often, easier to remember.
It might seem like hours, or sometimes you might not remember dreaming at all, but on average, we spend around two hours dreaming each night. Though this average is widely accepted, it’s tricky to determine exact numbers, as much of the research relies on people’s perceived memory of their dreams or brainwave activity during REM sleep. However, this doesn’t give the full picture, as dreams can also occur in other stages of sleep.
In line with our natural sleep cycles, we experience around four to six dreams each night, with each dream lasting around 20 to 30 minutes. This estimate is based on a standard monophasic sleep pattern, where all sleep happens simultaneously. However, if you follow a different sleep pattern, like biphasic sleep, where rest is split into two phases, the number of dreams you have may vary.
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Unfortunately, the length of our dreams isn’t influenced by how much we enjoy them, which can be frustrating when a pleasant dream is cut short. Dreams that occur during REM sleep are generally longer than those in other stages. As mentioned, these REM stages get longer as the night progresses. While this might mean your dreams could stretch out a little, it’s usually by no more than 20 minutes.
Nightmares are a type of dream, so they tend to last about the same amount of time as other dreams. However, because they’re often more intense, they typically occur during REM sleep, making them feel more vivid. This heightened intensity also means we’re more likely to remember them, often far more clearly than the blissful holiday dream we didn’t want to end. On the flip side, nightmares can be abruptly cut short if they wake us up in the middle of the night, resulting in a shorter experience and disrupted sleep.
For more tips, read our article on how to stop nightmares and night terrors.
There are several theories about why dreams can feel much longer than they actually are. While it’s widely agreed that our perception of time is altered during sleep, the reason behind this remains a bit of a mystery.
One idea is that the rapid brain activity during REM sleep plays a role. In this phase, when most dreams occur, the brain processes a huge amount of information at once, which might make time feel like it’s moving more slowly.
Another theory suggests that the sensation of slower time in dreams could be linked to the temporary paralysis of our muscles. Without the brain receiving movement signals, actions in dreams might feel like they unfold at a slower pace.
Some also believe that because our bodies are immobile, dreaming isn’t constrained by physical actions, allowing us to move through scenes and scenarios much more quickly mentally.
Finally, the emotions we experience in our dreams could also influence how time feels. Just like an emotional event can make a day feel much longer, intense or vivid experiences can make it seem like we’ve lived through a much longer period than we really have.
So, while it may feel like that dream about the world ending lasted far longer than the previous night’s unconscious encounter with a spider, they’re likely to have lasted around the same amount of time. While the mystery behind why dreams feel so long is still unsolved, there are several viable theories.
Understanding the different stages of sleep and how they affect our dreams can help us appreciate the richness of our nightly adventures, even if they seem shorter than they are.
See all articles by Holly James
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