Interpretation is not on the agenda for today; this is answering a more basic question. Is dreaming at night a common occurrence for you? Our dreams are a good indication of our physical state and quality of sleep. A long-standing indication of manliness has been the ability to thrive on as little sleep as possible. This mindset has been pervasive in the movies, military and culture at large. Sleep has been stigmatized as weakness or laziness.
Data continues to build refuting this perspective. Between scientific studies and the growing bio-hacking community, a realization that the body is repairing and the mind is very active during this downtime. I worked on an average of 6 hours of sleep for years and my dreams were non-existent. I participated in a couple sleep studies and made sleep a priority. I have sought to get 8 hours per night and vivid dreams have returned on a near nightly basis. Dreams haven't delivered the plans to the next iPhone or cure for cancer, but they have provided a barometer for how I am caring for my body and providing what it needs to thrive.
Artist and author Elle Luna (check her out on Instagram @elleluna) realigned her life after realizing she had gone a few weeks without dreaming. Dreams had been a primary source of inspiration for her work and without proper sleep, the spigot for her fountain of creation was shut. You and I must be expressing our creativity through our lives, the things we touch and the dreams we pursue. Dream well, awake and achieve.
How do you rate the importance of dreaming? What dreams do you remember? What period of your life did you have an active dream life? How can you enhance your nighttime dreaming?