Published: November 01. 2009 2:00AM

By Kondria Woods
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“When you close your eyes and you fall asleep, everything about you is a mystery.” Excerpt from “Talking in your Sleep” by The Romantics

The same can be said of the dreams that appear so real to many people — some briefly, some recurring — during one of the key stages of the sleep cycle.

“Originally, dreaming was thought to take place during the stage we call rapid eye movement sleep (REM), but since the discovery of REM sleep in 1953, by Aserinsky and Kleitman, further investigation led to the research that dreams actually do occur outside of REM sleep but are often less vivid, fragmentary and poorly described thoughts,” said Louie Scalise of the Southeast Regional Sleep Disorders Center. “Normal sleep architecture consists of 90-minute cycles repeating throughout the night. In these cycles, a person will typically drift off into sleep stages we call N1, N2, N3 and REM. During REM sleep in people without sleep disorders, heart rate and respiration speed up and become erratic, intense dreaming occurs and paralysis occurs simultaneously in the major voluntary muscle groups.”

Recognize that pinned-down feeling, the feeling of powerlessness during a dream? There’s definitely something to it after all. According to Dr. Muhammad Tariq Ansari of the University Medical Center at Greenville Hospital System’s Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Section, a dreamer’s eyes are most likely the only body part experiencing real movement.

“The eyes are actually moving in accordance to what the dream is about,” Ansari said. “The body is paralyzed, the muscles can’t move and people can’t act out their dreams. REM behavior disorders are relatively rare, and sleep movement disorders happen in other stages of sleep. The biggest concern comes from sleep walking and sleep talking. People tend to do things that their minds wouldn’t normally allow.”

The mind, scientists agree, still has some uncharted territory, which may have a bearing on how dreams occur, and how much external factors, such as a stressful day at the office, a special relationship or a desired goal, can affect those dreams.

“The scientific explanation is that the brain stem sends out random signals,” Ansari said. “Those signals go to the forebrain, which cobbles together a coherent story from our memories and from whatever is happening at that time. This makes the dream imagery. Among our patients, these dreams are a window into what’s going on with them. If they are hurting, patients tend to describe those aspects of their sensations at that point.”

Scalise added, “The scientific study of dreams is still very controversial and definitive answers may never come in this area. We have found out the most common dreams reported are being naked in public; falling; being chased; taking an exam (or forgetting you had one); flying; running but not going anywhere; and one’s teeth falling out.”

Maybe you’ve had a dream that felt very real, but you have no idea what it could mean. If you’re interested, Dream Moods (www.dreammoods.com) is a resource that could help.

“We have a dynamic Web community where members share and interpret their dreams,” said Anni Fuller, media representative of DreamMoods.com. “Dream interpretations definitely help to reduce stress and worry. It helps to put the mind at ease once you gain understanding of a troubling dream. Dreams often parallel a waking situation, and the dream in itself may be trying to point you to a solution to your problem. In this regard, interpreting your dream correctly can help solve a nagging problem. We believe that you, the dreamer, are the best interpreter of your own dream. Talking about your dream with your spouse, friend or even with others in our online community helps to guide you toward a better understanding of your dream. As you recount the details, something can click and you have that ‘aha’ moment.”

Fuller said the Web site has seen growth in the number of users finding their way to the online dream dictionary and the online community. About 75 percent of the site’s loyal users are women, Fuller said, and they often refer their friends.

“Anxiety dreams are reported the most,” she said. “Such dreams include running away from something, being attacked or experiencing some natural disaster. These types of dreams involve an issue or problem that the dreamer does not know how to solve. Relationship issues involving sex, infidelity, love and other emotions are another common dream theme. We are social people, so naturally relationships tend to plague the mind. Dreams where the dreamer or someone has died are also reported with high frequency. The dreamer tends to misinterpret such dreams as a foreshadowing of an actual death. However, these dreams usually point to a dramatic change in the dreamer’s life. It is also symbolic of an end to some habit or behavior. It’s recommended to view the death as a symbolic death.”

Dreams can sometimes take a darker turn, becoming the nightmares that go “bump” in our heads. Many adults can remember experiencing vivid nightmares from their childhood, or from just a few nights ago.

“Nightmares are associated with dreaming during REM sleep,” Scalise said. “They are more common in the second half of the night. Nightmares are typical for children age 4 through 6 and peak in frequency and intensity until age 10-12 years. In adults, they are more common for women than men. Night terrors, characterized by sudden, terrified screaming associated with a rapid increase in heart rate, rapid breathing, excessive sweating and the dilated pupils, are more typically seen in adolescence. The child is usually disoriented and confused upon awakening, usually without memory of the event. There are direct correlations between nightmares and psychiatric or psychosocial disorders. Nightmares also play a huge role in post-traumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder and major depressive disorders.” ?

No matter what turn a dream takes, Fuller said, “writing your dream down in a journal will help to bring meaning to your dream.”

“It can highlight recurring themes or symbols,” she said. “It can show how a dream is paralleling a waking situation and point you toward the right direction.”