Why do some people not dream

I consistently sleep seven or eight hours a night, and my sleep is mostly undisturbed despite the never-ending flux of car horns and sirens in my neighborhood.

On top of that, the time I fall asleep usually midnight and the time I wake up seven or eight in the morning is pretty consistent, too. Like I mentioned earlier, my internal clock has a strong grip on my body. After telling Pelayo this, he assures me that I'm probably having dreams frequently, I'm just not waking up at a time that allows me to remember said dreams. Dement is one of the researchers who made early connections between dreaming and REM sleep, and his studies find that people typically don't remember a dream unless they wake up while it's occurring.

Point being: If like me, you consider yourself to be a good sleeper and still rarely experience dreams, you're probably just sleeping through them.

Otherwise, the issue isn't whether or not you're dreaming — it's whether or not you're sleeping well enough in the first place. In their case, a lack of dreaming is more of a consequence of overall poor sleep. And if you're not dreaming because you're not getting quality REM sleep, that's where other health issues come into play. Additionally, studies have connected poor quality of sleep to a higher risk of heart disease , obesity , and even Alzheimer's Disease.

With that in mind, people having difficulty sleeping over a long period of time should consult with a doctor. Pelayo has a simple way to determine if you're just sleeping through your dreams: wake up earlier. Buying a sleep tracker can help you determine if and when you're having REM sleep, he says — once you've figured out what times you're likely to be in REM, all you have to do is set an alarm during that time.

And because most dreaming happens in the final hours of sleep, you might not need to wake up much earlier than normal to catch a dream before it ends. When I think about the few dreams that I do remember, this makes all the sense in the world.

Those dreams are always the ones that seem to end abruptly — the ones that make me feel like I'm being physically thrashed out of my brain at four or five in the morning. I thankfully discovered from Pelayo's alarm trick that I do, indeed, have REM and dreams that I've just been sleeping through. If you end up using a sleep tracker to track your own REM sleep, though, Baron advises taking its readings with a grain of salt.

There can be some variation in how much REM an individual gets, even in a healthy sleeper. An inability to dream due to an overall sleep deficiency might be a cause of concern to experts — but what about sleeping through dreams?

Can I still reap all those emotional and cognitive benefits from dreams if I'm barely aware that I'm even having them? When asked, Pelayo and Baron both assure me that sleeping through dreams and failing to recall them is totally normal.

Pelayo adds that the most important thing is that I'm getting quality sleep at all. Missing out on REM sleep could mean missing out on dreams, too. Poor sleep can be a consequence of a health problem or a contributing factor in one. Sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea , can keep you from entering the REM sleep cycle. Insomnia can increase your risk for:.

Among adults with depression , up to 90 percent report trouble sleeping, and insomnia is the most common complaint. That could account for fewer or less-memorable dreams. But depression may also increase disturbing dreams or nightmares. Sleep problems are highly prevalent in people with bipolar disorder. Sleep problems may lead up to an episode of mania or depression. Between 69 and 99 percent of people experiencing a manic episode experience sleep disruption such as needing less sleep or having trouble falling asleep.

Insomnia can be a risk factor for developing anxiety or a result of anxiety. Sleep problems are reported by people who have:. Although lack of REM sleep can cut down on dreams, people with anxiety are more likely to have scary dreams. You may not have vivid dreams when taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs , such as fluoxetine Prozac or sertraline Zoloft.

These are often prescribed for anxiety or depression. Lack of quality sleep can make mental health disorders worse, and mental health disorders can exacerbate sleep problems. You wake up with a dream on your mind. Minutes later, you can no longer recall it. Better sleep may help you remember your dreams.

Here are some tips for getting quality sleep :. Lack of sleep can worsen existing health problems or lead to poor overall health. It can also be a sign that you have an underlying condition, such as sleep apnea or insomnia , that your healthcare provider should address.

Stage 3 is the deepest sleep stage. During this phase, the brain produces slow delta waves. The muscles become completely relaxed, and heart rate and breathing reach their lowest levels. REM sleep occurs about 90 minutes after sleep onset. REM sleep is characterized by rapid side-to-side eye movements, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and shallow, irregular breathing.

During this sleep stage, the brain gives off mixed frequencies that closely resemble those of brain activity during wakefulness. Learn more about the stages of sleep here. Dreaming usually occurs during REM sleep. People who wake up during REM sleep often report having dream experiences.

That being said, people can have dreams or dream-like experiences during non-REM sleep. Although sleep researchers, neurologists, and psychologists have posited numerous theories about the function or functions of sleep, the scientific community has yet to establish a consolidated interpretation of dreams.

Some scientific evidence suggests that the brain regions that process emotions during consciousness are also active during REM sleep. In fact, a lack of REM sleep for as long as 2 weeks has little to no effect on behavior.

Although we may not remember every dream in vivid detail, some dream experiences are so vivid that people remember them several years later. Learn more about the potential causes of vivid dreams here. The reasons that we dream and the function or functions of dreams remain unclear.

However, we do know that everyone dreams and that most people can recall at least some dream elements. Vivid or disturbing dreams may be easier to recall than dreams that mimic the events of everyday life. Using alcohol or other substances, experiencing stress, and experiencing sleep deprivation can all lead to overactive or vivid dreams in some people. This special feature explores the science behind lucid dreaming, an experience in which a person realizes they are dreaming as they continue to dream.

Most people dream times per night, although many people will not remember dreaming at all. This article looks at some of the recent theories about…. In this Spotlight, we explore the phenomenon that is lucid dreaming.

We explain what it is, what to do to achieve it, and whether or not it has any…. How do we dream and what exactly are nightmares? What are lucid dreams, wet dreams, and which dreams do we remember? This article examines some of the…. Wet dreams are a common and completely natural occurrence in both sexes.