10 Things That Influence Our Dreams

Our life can influence our dreams to a great extent. External influences and several other factors can have a great impact on our dreams, which can directly or indirectly affect our life. While there are many things that can affect our dreams, there are at least 10 things that influence our dreams.

Dreams can sometimes offer you a great sleep; but at the same time, also hold the potential to keep you scared for hours after you wake up. While you might not be able to remember even a part of them a while after you’ve woken up, dreams can produce various psychological effects that you might not be aware of, many of which can greatly affect our daily life.

Like our dreams can affect our life, our life can affect our dreams as well. External influences that have influenced us in some way previously can play a role in determining what our dream exactly turns out as.

Here are 10 things that influence our dreams

1. Sounds can Influence our Dreams

   Sound is one of the many factors that can affect our dreams. If, for example, we dream that our phone is ringing, it might actually be. Our brains usually tend to respond to sounds in different ways. Hence, the influence of sounds on our dreams can sometimes be beautiful, while at times they can be horrifying.

   While sounds and noises can influence our dreams, these are also one of the easiest factors to modify. Sounds that influence our dreams can be modified with the use of pleasant music, sounds or recorders or other tools, which can help to control such factors.

2. Scents Can Silently Influence our Dreams

   It is found that scents have a long lasting impact on our deeper minds and are commonly associated with pleasant and unpleasant feelings. The fragrance of flowers and other favorable aromas appearing pleasant to us are likely to induce pleasant emotions in our dreams. Scents can influence our dreams; pleasant scents can improve our dreams, while unpleasant scents can influence our dream negatively. So, we need be careful about what we are smelling, as our brain will store the fragrance and can silently influence our dreams.

3. Posture Greatly Influences our Dreams

   The position in which our sleep can also influence our dreams. While the earth’s magnetic pull is also believed to influence our dreams, our own position also matters a lot. Some studies suggest that people who sleep facing downwards or on the stomach may experience stimulating dreams. The side which we predominantly take when sleeping can also influence our dreams. Those sleeping on the left side may have scary dreams while those right side sleepers are believed to be able to rest better. Although, this may vary from person to person.

4. Psychological State Influences our Dreams

   The conscious or subconscious mental state tends to greatly influence the nature, content and characteristics of our dreams. Depression or disturbed state of mind can influence the colors of our dreams. Dreams may appear in black and white dreams and may include unpleasant natural conditions like tornadoes. A healthy, calm mental state can influence our dream more positively and make our dreams more favorable and enjoyable.

5. Abstaining can Influence our Dreams Negatively

   Life experiences, limitations in our lifestyle, something taken away from us or something we have been refraining from, can influence our dreams. The more we are kept away from our favorite thing, the more we may dream about it. Be it food, people, cigarettes, or a pet we’ve lost; abstaining from these can influence our dreams negatively and we end up in dreaming more about it.

6. Medication Does Influence our Dreams

   Different drugs can interfere with the sleep process and influence our dreams in different ways. Medicines can influence the quality and characteristics of dreams. For example, nicotine can produce highly vivid dreams in people who consume them. Medicines and other drugs can also influence the details of our dreams, like the ability to remember the dream.

7. Genetic Factors can Influence our Dreams

   Genetic and hereditary factors can also be responsible in influencing certain characteristics of our dreams. While twins are likely to share similar habits and interests, it is also likely for them to have similar kinds of dreams at similar frequencies. Genetic details can also influence the way we dream.

8. Food Can Also Influence Our Dreams

   Food can affect our dreams and their quality. Different kinds of cheese can produce different changes in the nature and content of our dreams. While blue cheese can induce bizarre dreams, Cheshire can give you a pleasant sleep, but it may influence our ability to recall any part of our dream. Consumption of stimulating food or drinks, caffeinated beverages may not only affect sleep but can also influence our dreams to some extent. Whatever we eat ends up affecting our dreams in some way.

9. Movies can Greatly Influence Our Dreams

   What you view before sleeping greatly influences our dreams. Watching a horror movie can give you nightmares. But that’s not all. Be it a movie, a story, a show, a comic or even text, anything that tells us about an experience or event, fictional or actual, can also induce dreams of similar nature.

   It’s not necessary that our dream may be exactly the same as what we have seen before sleeping. But there are greater chances that the visuals, the concept in the story may get blended with other things and influence our dreams it in a negative manner.

10. Hunger can have an Influence on Our Dreams

    While food can influence our dreams, so can going to bed hungry. Sleeping hungry can induce lower blood sugar levels that can rouse us from sleep and make us remember our dreams more frequently and easily. Being hungry can influence our dreams by making us more aware of our needs, which can influence our dreams and we end up dreaming about food.