The movies that play in our brains while we sleep are basically our body's way of "trying to teach us something or inspire us," whether it's a traumatic childhood nightmare you can't forget, a recurring dream about your teeth falling out, or a joyful, magical adventure you could only, well, dream about making a reality. "Theresa Cheung, a dream expert based in the United Kingdom and the author of the brand-new book How to Catch a Dream (and dozens of other best-selling books related to dreams) explains that you're able to make connections in the dream state that when you're awake, logic and reason might stop you and say, 'that's impossible.'"
But if we take the time to think about and possibly learn from these stories from sleep, we might find that something is off, needs more focus, or even ready to be invented when we wake up.
Cheung cites Stephen King as an illustration, calling him "an incredible source of creativity." It is said that he records his dreams in writing, and many of his books are thought to have been influenced by a dream vision. The vision of director Christopher Nolan led to the film Inception. Larry Page's dream provided the basis for Google.
It seemed impossible while he was awake and conscious. Cheung asserts, "When you dream, your ego disappears, and glorious things can occur."
She continues, "But it's not just creativity that shows up in our dreams." Even if it isn't obvious, our mental and physical health can play a significant role.
We have a free therapist working quietly on our behalf each night as we fall asleep. You need to learn your own symbols and meanings. According to Cheung, dreams "speak the language of symbols, puns, metaphors, and figurative associations." A dream is essentially a poem or piece of art that has meanings for you to decipher.
Continue reading to learn more about the lessons you can learn from your dreams and the possible clues they may give you about your health.
Related: How to Translate Your Dreams To Learn from Our Dreams, We Cannot Just Live Them While We Snooze and Then Go About Our Lives As Usual. Four Ways to Get a Better Night's Sleep, According to an Expert, It's important to try to find connections and patterns in your dreams by briefly reflecting on them.
"Until you have that moment of illumination of what this relates to, you must associate and brainstorm. Your dreaming mind is attempting to persuade you to rely on your instincts to learn what you need to know about personal development. Many of us look outside ourselves and to other people when we are awake. Spend some time pondering your dreams—the more you do it, the more patterns of foods, people, and symbols you see. According to Cheung, "dream decoding is about being confident in your own capacity to know what's right for you."
Think about your dreams in these ways:
According to Cheung, lying still for 90 seconds as soon as you notice that you are awake will cause you to "jettison to reality and start to forget."
Spend those 90 seconds asking your dreams from last night to come true.
When you open your eyes, spend an additional 60 seconds in a notebook on the left page, writing down keywords or drawing the information you remember.
On the right page of the same notebook, write a brief journal entry about the day's waking hours before going to bed.
"Check out your dream journal every weekend when you have time. Relax and try to decode while you sit down. What might connect your awake and dream lives? According to Cheung, keeping a journal for your waking life and a journal for your dream life gives you a complete picture of who you really are and may reveal some connections between the two. The underside, which may be unpleasant, is shown in the dreams. Fear not about this. Just like in everyday life, it's what you do with that negative impulse. Our dreams are our own personal therapists.
Related: Decoding 7 Common Dreams About Health and Nutrition: The Health Benefits of Journaling, According to Mental Health Professionals What Could These Common Dreams Mean, Particularly If They Are Related to Food or Wellness?
According to Cheung, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung believed that the food represented something you were lacking or needed in your life. You either don't eat the food or it tastes bad or makes you sick when you do.
"Ask yourself, "What should I do to improve my life? Is something starving? "She explains that even if you're not eating, just seeing food is a sign that you might not be getting enough of something in your current life."
True, this could indicate physical hunger. Cheung adds, though, that dreams are typically symbolic.
"Your dreaming mind uses food as a symbol to communicate with you because it is familiar and necessary for survival. She explains, "Dreams in which you deny yourself food or where it tastes bad may indicate that you are undernourished in some way."
If you're on a diet in the dream, you might be denying one of your most important needs, and food poisoning might be a sign that you're cultivating harmful ideas, thoughts, friends, or habits (that you should avoid).
You dream about eating a specific food. Cheung says, "Every item of food carries with it a potent meaning."
It's very common for your favorite foods to feature prominently in your dream. Cheung has discovered that certain foods, even if you don't normally eat them, are popular in dreams, such as:
Candy, cake, or cookies: hints that you might be focusing too much on the insignificant.
Fruit: demonstrates that you are utilizing your skills for personal development or that you are receiving the essentials you require to advance.
Meat: demonstrates that you are well-fed and covered in the fundamentals.
Related: 7 Expert Advice for Designing Your Bedroom to Get a Better Night's Sleep You dream about your teeth falling out "Maybe check in with your dentist, just in case," Cheung says with a chuckle. However, teeth typically involve communication."
Have you recently said something that you regret and wish you could repeat? Or are you keeping your mouth shut and omitting something you want to say?
Tooth loss can also be caused by feelings about how you look, getting older, or being afraid of change.
Most of the time, it has to do with that change. "Your dreaming mind is saying change is coming—focus on the positive, change is good," according to Cheung. A child's loss of baby teeth is a sign of normal growth and development, too.
A heart attack or cancer are mentioned in your dream. "A small percentage of dreams are precognitive, or they predict our poor health; People are amazing and mysterious. However, that is extremely uncommon," Cheung asserts.
The most common interpretation of disease dreams is that something in your life needs to be let go, either because it feels like it's poisoning you or making you fall further and further behind. For instance, cancer could be a sign that something is "killing" your creative and joyful feelings.
If you have a disease-related dream and are in good health and have had all of your regular checkups, "Try to pay attention to your state of mind and self-care," Cheung advises. If this is a warning sign to address a waking problem, you shouldn't have those disease dreams again."
You're running—or you're trying to run but can't. Any movement in a dream is clearly indicative of your current and future life paths. Are you stumbling, running before you can walk, or running effortlessly? You can use any one of these to talk about how much or how little progress you think you're making.
You don't feel like you're moving at the speed you want when you're wading through mud. Your current course of action is ineffective. Cheung asserts, "You need to make a change in your waking life."
You're making food or eating, so take a look around: Do you remember eating alone or with others? This could be related to a need for community or independence.
Consider what you are giving to others while you are awake—and whether it might be a little too generous—if you are cooking or serving food to others.
Additionally, "self-care might be a concern" if you taste the recipe and discover that it lacks flavor. Cheung asserts, "Your dreams are attempting to instruct you to love yourself."
You wake up in a head-to-toe sweat after having nightmares night after night If you wake up in a head-to-toe sweat after having nightmares night after night, this is likely a sign of high stress and drama when you're awake, as Cheung explains.
However, it need not be bad. She asserts that occasional nightmares can be "transformative gifts." In order to help us understand what is going on, our brain is using vivid, terrifying images.
According to Cheung, "Your dreaming mind just wants you to notice it, similar to a texting friend you've been ignoring."
Related: What Your Anxious Dreams Might Be Telling You In Summary: If you don't remember your dreams, you might not be getting enough deep sleep (REM) Cheung is of the opinion that this phase of sleep is so deep that it gives your brain vivid dreams.
"Good mental function and holistic well-being are demonstrated by dream recall. However, she adds, "Don't immediately panic if you aren't remembering your dreams; we all go through periods when we don't." However, consider self-care over the long term. You might find that studying one aspect of life is beneficial: Give yourself what you need mentally, emotionally, and physically, and stimulate your mind.
Additionally, Cheung advises seeking treatment from a sleep specialist "so you don't miss all the images dancing behind your rested eyes" and "so you don't miss all the images dancing behind your rested eyes" if you struggle with insomnia or any other sleep disorder.
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