Colored dreams: Who dreams, why and why? Who can see colorful dreams?

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Published: 11/13/2021

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Sleep is an integral and important part of life. The nature of dreams still remains a mystery to scientists, as well as the solution to the dilemma - can everyone see colored dreams or is this the prerogative of only a select few.

1 Nature of sleep
2 What do scientists think?
3 Reasons
4 Who is lucky to have colorful dreams
5 Schizophrenia and colorful dreams
6 Interesting things about dreams 6.1 Good to know
6.2 Myths

7 Distinctive features of black and white and color dreams

8 How to make night visions in color?

9 Decoding

9.1 How famous psychoanalysts interpret dreams

Nature of sleep

When a person plunges into the kingdom of Morpheus, consciousness recedes into the background and the reins of power pass to our subconscious. And who knows what you can see in a dream as a result of its interweaving with images from external reality.

During the night's rest, daytime information is sorted and processed. Dreams are the result of the work of higher nervous activity. When the brain stops perceiving stimuli from the outside world, it begins to notice what passed by during wakefulness.

What makes us dream?

Before we dive into the list of reasons that cause particularly vivid dreams, let's look at what causes them in the first place.

During the night, your sleeping body goes through several repeating cycles, resulting in its most alert state in the morning.

The most alert sleep during the night is called rapid eye movement sleep (REM). During this period, your brain is busy processing memories and information from everyday life.

We spend about 25% of our night's sleep in this phase. It is within its framework that a person sees dreams.

We all have dreams every night, but they are often forgotten, especially if they are not very intense.

While the connection between dreams and memories is still being researched, experts can say with confidence that anything that affects your REM sleep also affects your dreams.

What do scientists think?

If previously it was believed that only mentally ill people have colorful dreams, now scientists are confident that many people can see colorful dreams and do not have to go crazy for this. There are even several hypotheses that try to explain why some people dream in color, while others see everything in black and white.

Hypothesis 1: all people can be divided into two groups: one includes those who see everything in colors, while others are not allowed to see a colorful picture in their dreams. But research in this area has refuted it, proving that everyone can see multi-colored images, but the color range is different. If a person is creative and leads an active, interesting life, then most likely the night visions will be the same.
Hypothesis 2: only potential schizophrenics are able to see a color dream. It has been proven that any normal and mentally healthy person can talk about incredible dreams after waking up, and this ability is not affected by age or gender.
Hypothesis 3: high intellectual development is a guarantee of colorful vision. But it was also refuted, proving that people can see colorful dreams regardless of social level; educated people have a more intricate storyline.
Hypothesis 4: the appearance of vivid dreams is a consequence of the advent of color cinema. It is based on the fact that supposedly young people see colorful dreams much more often than people of the older generation who watched black and white films as children. An interesting hypothesis, but for some reason the subjects described it as a color black and white picture from a dream, but not vice versa.

All this may mean that everyone, after waking up, remembers more objects and people’s faces in the form they are fixed in memory, including regarding color.

Colored dreams: a sign of schizophrenia

There is a common belief that colored dreams are a sign of schizophrenia. This idea has developed in the past. Psychiatrists in the early 20th century believed that only patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were capable of seeing colored visions. However, today research has proven this opinion to be untenable.

Statistics show that schizophrenics are 20 times more likely to observe vivid scenes. With this type of psychological disorder, the brain produces unusual and intense images. People suffering from schizophrenia observe their own fears and concerns at night. These are unconscious images that may include bright and unusual color combinations. In addition, patients with the disorder are more likely to remember what they see at night than ordinary people.

However, this is not proof that any color dream can be considered a sign of schizophrenia. Patients are able to remember what they see due to their own fears. Increased sensitivity allows schizophrenics to see and remember the strangest scenes.

But scientists have not identified a specific connection between the disease and colorful images. If you see intense stories and you are worried about whether you are suffering from schizophrenia, remember the details of the visions. In patients with a psychological disorder, nightmares and unhealthy images predominate. This is not observed in ordinary people.

Causes

Oddly enough, the reason why images appear in color is not known to anyone for certain. One can only imagine what could color a dream so brightly, causing a lot of impressions. Scientists put forward several such assumptions:

Worldview is established in early childhood. If a child viewed more black and white photographs and films, then such a person will have the same dreams.
The color of night visions is provided by the continuous work of neurons in the brain, which continues after falling asleep. If life is distinguished by a variety of hobbies, hobbies and is rich in events, then there is no doubt that after waking up there will be a lot of impressions from vivid images.

During a night's rest, consciousness comes into contact with the subconscious in order to find a way out of existing problems, analyze possible choices, which is the cause of colorful dreams, from a psychological point of view.

Orange sky and purple grass - from Buddhists to OS practitioners

Night is a time to rest the mind and reboot the nervous system. The modern world, striking with a riot of colors, an abundance of radiation and voluminous flows of information mixed with daily stress, day after day depresses the psyche.

Many religions interpret the world of dreams as a journey of the subtle mental body to other realities, while medicine associates this phenomenon with the “cleaning up” of the brain, the structuring of information - the chaos of movement, superimposed on the reduced frequency of nerve impulses, gives rise to a certain picture in the mind, often chaotic. Active youth, on the contrary, without really thinking about the root cause, are trying to stand at the head of the table and rule the roost - the practice of lucid dreaming is gaining great popularity among those who want to get into a fairy tale and be a screenwriter of vivid visions. Which one is right?

Who is lucky enough to have colorful dreams?

It has already been proven through experiments that a person in his dreams perceives images more than their coloring. The brightness of what you see depends on your personality, character, and temperament. But there are several categories that can constantly have colored dreams:

People are emotional, hypersensitive and receptive. Their real life is rich in events, colored by new impressions, meetings, and night dreams seem to serve as a continuation of everyday life. But there is another opinion that colorful dreams brighten up a monotonous life and help fight depression.
With a high level of intellectual development. But many argue with this statement, believing that mental abilities can only affect the complexity of the plot or the colorfulness of the retelling.
Lefties. Because it is the right hemisphere that is responsible for imaginative thinking, and it is more developed in them.
Children. Exploring the world, they receive vivid impressions projected by the subconscious.
Age category up to 30 years. According to the research results, among those who have had colorful dreams, more than 70% are young people.
If we consider gender, then representatives of the fair sex are more likely to see bright images in all the colors of the rainbow in their dreams.
People who have recently given up bad habits. Medicine explains that the endocrine system influences the colors in which the brain provides us with a picture.

Based on the above, the conclusion suggests itself: it is wrong to say that a vivid dream comes only to a select few. Make your life brighter and colorful dreams won’t keep you waiting long.

Spicy food may cause strange dreams

Late night snacking, especially spicy food, can cause nightmares.

Eating anything, but especially spicy foods, milk and foods rich in calories, speeds up metabolism and stimulates brain activity.

When you enter REM sleep with this increased activity, your brain is filled with all sorts of strange images.

Lisa Medalie, a sleep specialist at the University of Chicago Hospital, warns that your last meal should be three hours before bedtime.

Schizophrenia and colorful dreams

Studies were conducted in America: the subjects were divided into several groups:

The first category includes patients with schizophrenia.
The second group includes those who have relatives with this diagnosis.
And absolutely healthy and not burdened by heredity.

During the experiment, it was found that subjects from the first two groups were much more likely to talk after waking up about incredible sensations and dreams in colors.

There is a group of scientists who believe that colored images are a sign of mental disorders and can only be seen by people with mental disorders. But, based on the above, this is also a manifestation of creativity. But why be surprised here, because genius and madness have always gone hand in hand. And the explanation is simple - the centers responsible for both are located in the same part of the brain.

There is an opinion that modern man lives under conditions of imposed stereotypes, abandoning his true desires, which is fraught with the development of psychosis. So we are all not immune from nervous and mental illnesses.

Disease or benefit?

The fact that colored dreams are an integral sign of schizophrenia can frighten impressionable people. This, by the way, will lead to the appearance of new colored dreams and the “circle” will close. In fact, colored dreams come to all people at least once in their lives, except those who are blind from birth and have never seen all the colors of the world. The frequency and intensity of dreams depends on the characteristics of an individual person.

In addition, schizophrenics usually see nightmares in their dreams - ghosts, monsters, blood. If a healthy person does not have any of this, then there is no point in worrying about the psychological state. Moreover, vivid night visions help develop extrasensory abilities or require the implementation of creative personality skills. In both cases, they can be used as an impetus for new achievements.

Interesting about dreams

Dreams have always been interpreted, but they have remained unexplored to this day. This leads to the fact that new information constantly appears about the mystery of night dreams.

Good to know

Some may remember or have themselves found themselves in the same shoes as in a class or in a kindergarten group, a teacher tried to retrain a child who wrote and ate with his left hand. Only with the development of psychology and physiology did it become known that this was wrong. From birth, a child’s responsibilities are distributed between the hemispheres in this way. And the left-hander is no different from others, and as for night dreams, they are even more fortunate.

Such people have a developed right hemisphere; it is this fact that gives them the ability not only to see colorful dreams more often, but also to control them.

Hitherto unknown facts:

A person forgets even the most vivid dream after waking up within a few minutes. Visible images disappear, and the brain is completely ready to plunge into the day's worries and problems.
The turmoil of the day sometimes does not allow you to concentrate and listen to your feelings, and at night the subconscious hands you a solution to a problem or a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation. Proof of this is Mendeleev, who dreamed of a table of chemical elements in a dream.
Left-handed people not only see colorful dreams, but can also, by tuning in, cause a continuation the next night.
There is no relationship between the colors of a dream and the degree of negativity, but still colorful visions are much less likely to be disturbing.
Coloring is some indicator of consciousness. If you analyze it, you can understand a lot about the subconscious.

It has also been noted that a successful day is more likely to be reflected in dreams in color than one full of worries and problems.

Myths

There are myths that have already been debunked.

Myth 1. “If you only dream in black and white.” This is not so - almost everyone sees both those dreams and others, but most often, when retelling night visions, a person pays attention to the essence, the plot, and not to the coloring.

Myth 2. “Colorful visions are a clinical manifestation of schizophrenia.” Past again. It has already been proven that artistic, emotional people worry more on a subconscious level, which affects their dreams. Just as life is in full swing, so is sleep characterized by a riot of colors.

Are you wondering why you have dreams? Then this article is for you

Sleep in humans, like in any animal, is usually caused by fatigue and overwork.
This causes the need for peace and relaxation. In a state of sleep, the body, weakened after many hours of active activity, gradually returns the necessary vigor and strength to once again begin the actions that make up all of life. But why do people have dreams? When the nervous system is exhausted, this leads to slow blood circulation, which, in turn, slows down the activity of all vital functions. As a result, attention and will are lost, replaced by oblivion or sleep. When a person falls asleep, communication with the outside world is temporarily suspended, he seems to partially lose awareness of his existence, any external phenomena and objects no longer affect him

And only the brain actively continues its mental activity, thanks to which dreams and dreams come.

During sleep, the nerves no longer transmit sensations to the brain. Of all the available organs, vision is the first to get tired; It is the eyes that require rest, rest and sleep in the first place. But not all organs fall asleep at the same time: while one part of them, the most tired, falls asleep, the second, less tired, remains awake. The answer to the question “Why do you have dreams?” is quite obvious: dreams and dreams occur precisely because some organs have already fallen asleep, while others continue to be awake for some time. But gradually they calm down, resulting in a calm and deep sleep.

However, nerve diseases and other ailments can cause loss of sleep, insomnia, improper wakefulness, or, conversely, deep and fairly heavy sleep, a kind of hibernation, and in some cases even lethargy. Any dreams are the result of the activity of memory and developed imagination, which are free from the participation of other feelings and abilities. This is why we have dreams that are so different in meaning, but have much in common with what may well be happening in reality. So, for example, for people who are sick or engage in excessive, backbreaking work, dreams are often scary and difficult. When one of the vital organs is irritated, overworked or sick, sleep is often restless, and light sensations at this moment become extremely strong. For example, the noise of a car passing outside the window can be interpreted as thunder or gunfire; a mosquito bite is like the bite of a scorpion or a huge snake.

Have you ever wondered why you have dreams that in their meaning almost always correspond to the mental development, social status, physical condition, age, and temperament of the sleeping person? After all, the rich dream mainly of luxury and pleasure; for the poor - need, labor, requests, humiliation; the artist dreams of the stage, applause, audience; to the patient – doctors, hospital, medicines, etc. Also, the dreams of a poet or artist will never be seen by a shoemaker, and a beggar is unlikely to see the dreams of an oligarch. In other words, whoever “breathes” what, dreams about it, because, for example, an astronaut does not always know for certain the intricacies of the production of chemical reagents.

Many people are interested in the question of what dreams mean. Yes, it is likely that in some cases dreams can actually show pictures from the past or predict the future. But if you do not consider them as something mystical, then any bright, good or bad dreams are caused by certain reasons. These can be strong impressions received in the waking state, thanks to some out-of-the-ordinary incident or event, as well as personal participation in one or another extraordinary incident. They can also be caused by a poor stomach condition or overeating at night, an uncomfortable bed or an uncomfortable body position during sleep. Based on this, it can be noted that very few dreams have a real, prophetic meaning.

In addition, despite the fact that a person sees dreams every night, he cannot always remember them in the morning. If he can remember something, it is only small fragments of the very last morning dream that a person sees just before waking up. Be that as it may, the human brain is still not fully understood, and why we actually dream and what lies behind them remains a curious and unsolved mystery.

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Distinctive features of black and white and color dreams

Both hemispheres of the brain take part in the formation of night vision, but the role is different. Therefore, it can be noted that color and black and white dreams are different:

The right hemisphere ensures the brightness of sleep and the presence of images, and the left hemisphere is more responsible for the frequency of such visions. If the right is better developed, and this happens in creative and creative people, then dreams are brightly colored.
It has been proven that paints are left imprinted by the day that has passed. Accompanied by negative emotions - expect the same dream, the day brought only positive emotions - there is a high probability of colorful visions.
The color scheme of dreams can tell about desires hidden in the subconscious.

There is an opinion that the brightness of sleep is a filter and an indicator that notifies about the state of health.

Colored dreams - are they good or bad?

Many people think about whether colored dreams are good or bad. Experts are in a hurry to reassure, since there is nothing strange in such phenomena. In most cases, colored dreams are normal because anyone can have them.

However, you should be concerned if you have always seen only black and white visions, and then suddenly they take on bright colors. If this scares and worries you, you should consult a doctor. This may be a sign of unhealthy brain activity, so you should get tested.

How to make night visions color?

It turns out that you can influence the vividness of your dreams. Scientists recommend the following:

Developing the right hemisphere, if it is problematic to immediately become creative, then you can simply write more often with your left hand.
Make life bright and rich, away from boredom and monotony.
Enjoy every moment in life, drive away negative thoughts.
Allow sufficient time for night rest. It has been noted that with chronic fatigue and lack of sleep, it is generally problematic to see any kind of dream, let alone a colored one. And if you dream about it, it’s unlikely to be vivid, rather nightmarish.

It turns out that not everything is so hopeless, a little patience and desire and now your dreams are full of colors and images.

Features of sleep and dreams

All people's sleep consists of the following 4 stages:

The activity of the brain decreases, the person falling asleep falls into a doze, and natural and short-term hallucinogenic thoughts arise;
Tonic muscle activity continues to decrease, and body temperature drops slightly. It is this stage that takes up most of the sleep time (up to 55%);
This stage is called slow-wave sleep. The only difference from the fourth stage is that the EEG shows the dominance of delta oscillations of the brain rhythm;
Deep sleep sets in. It is during this time that the vast majority of people dream. At the fourth stage, the risk of sleepwalking increases.

The most interesting thing is that the fourth stage of sleep does not last long. It takes up 12% of the entire brain rest process. But it seems to a person that he has seen a rather long process of dreaming. Perhaps this is due to the transience of events occurring in dreams closer to the morning.

Decoding

It is important not only to see a bright picture, but also to understand the symbolism. It happens that when a person wakes up, he does not remember exactly what he dreamed, but he can talk about the colors and emotions he experienced. According to psychological findings, each color carries a semantic meaning:

Everything is white - the intentions of those around you regarding the dreamer are only pure.
A lot of red shade - most likely, love lives in the soul.
A large clearing of yellow flowers - a friend experiences an unstable feeling or the dreamer sins in a similar way.
Blue color - it’s time to become wiser and gain experience.
The color black colored the dream - expect serious shocks, but don’t worry ahead of time, maybe it’s just your imagination that paints in such dark colors.
Green signals dreams.
Seeing everything in pink is joy and fun.
Purple hue - the feelings are mutual.
Orange color may mean that the nervous system needs rest.

Almost all light colors speak of good things, while dark colors make you take a closer look at your inner feelings and faces around you.

How famous psychoanalysts interpret dreams

It is believed that a dream in color is a psychological phenomenon, so most psychotherapists have devoted a lot of work to studying this phenomenon.

If you look at dream books, you can glean various interesting information:

Miller's Dream Book. Interprets the abundance of green in a dream as a wonderful chance to celebrate an event. If the visions are colored red, then it is recommended to pay attention to health or problems in reality, the solution of which should not be put in a box. Yellow color can indicate the need to work on oneself.
Interpretation according to Freud. The dream book claims that colored dreams confirm a person’s maturation. This can mean either the need to become responsible or a rejection of past mistakes. Yellow images encourage action and it is recommended not to consider any obstacles along the way as insurmountable obstacles.

Which interpretation is closer, decide for yourself, but you should not take so literally the games of the imagination and subconscious, which are realized in the form of dreams.

Analyzing the information, we can say that no one is immune from colored dreams. The appearance of wild colors in a dream is not always a signal to visit a psychiatrist, but only an indication of the impressionability of nature.

The meaning of color in a dream

To correctly interpret the images, it is necessary to take into account the specific meaning of color in a dream . Remember which shades predominated and refer to the following information for interpretation:

The color purple speaks of the desire to free yourself, to break down barriers that exist only in the head. This is a sign that a person is about to have an insight that will completely change his life. In addition, the image hints at the emerging truth, understanding, and the fight against deception. Purple also indicates creativity, inspiration and new discoveries. In the near future, something unusual and wonderful awaits the dreamer.
Blue is the personification of spiritual qualities. Often it hints at kindness, happiness and sincere feelings. Other details of the dream will help reveal the exact meaning of the color. Sometimes blue shades indicate a desire to get rid of daily worries and difficulties. This may be a sign that a person needs rest, solitude and peace. Perhaps you feel a desire to be alone for at least a little while to think about everything that is happening. This color also represents depth of thought.
Blue objects also represent positive character traits. This light tone indicates openness, clarity, joy. It may hint at a desire for peace, harmony, and tranquility. Blue hints at taking time for the spiritual component.
White color embodies innocence and purity. Most often it relates to a person’s thoughts and speaks of inner harmony. It may mean that you are just trying to find peace, or have already been able to achieve it. To accurately interpret night dreams, they take into account whether the white objects were clean or had dirt on them. In this case, the image is associated with bad deeds, internal imbalance, and depression.
Traditionally, yellow is the color of joy and happiness. This is a shade of the sun that represents summer, warmth, and a new harvest. But when interpreting, they take into account the form in which this tone appeared. For example, autumn leaves rarely mean anything good. They symbolize internal decline, sadness, longing for the past. This image may hint at mental anguish and torment, a feeling of hopelessness.
Green is traditionally the color of renewal and happiness. Green things in visions can indicate hopes and desire for a better life. The origins of the interpretation are related to grass and tree leaves. Green is a symbol of spring and the beginning of a new happy period. The shade may hint that the sleeping person is striving for change. This is a sign of fatigue from the past, a desire to start doing what will make you happy. Green can indicate dissatisfaction with what is happening in the present. In this case, it encourages action. But it is important to take into account what exactly acquired an emerald tone in the night plot. If we are talking about green eyes, this is considered a subconscious personification of deception, danger and risk. Perhaps a person will actually encounter unscrupulous people.
The red tone is associated with pleasure, passion, strong feelings and emotions. The presence of objects of this color in a dream indicates the unbridled nature of the dreamer, that he cannot resist his passions. This is the desire to indulge one's own desires and seek pleasure. Another option for interpreting red things is to desire a luxurious life. This can be indicated by the bright scarlet car that you had in your vision. If red flowers appeared and you presented them as a gift, this may be a hint of the strong feelings that you actually experience.
Black is traditionally interpreted as a symbol of grief, depression, misfortune or trouble. In the dark, secrets are hidden from a person that cannot be solved without bright light. And the unknown often warns of risk and danger. We can talk about internal disagreements, imbalance, lack of peace. Often black objects are a reflection of the depression into which a sleeping person plunges. This is a sign of despair, suppressed emotions, unfulfilled ambitions. The color may hint at a longing for the past.
Pink and pastel shades are the personification of naivety, inner purity, and sublime feelings. But this meaning can intensify, and in this case it will indicate infantility, being in a fictional world, and lack of connection with reality. Sometimes the color hints at the desire to live a simple life, devoid of difficulties and problems. The person who dreams about it is not attracted to complex goals. He craves ease in life. True, this leads to a lack of responsibility and a desire to shift responsibilities to other people. Daydreaming, which is characteristic of a person, alienates him from reality. It is necessary to find a balance between internal desires and external circumstances. It is impossible to constantly live in your own fantasies.