Ten Fascinating Facts About Dreams

1. Many crucial inventions were inspired by dreams. For example: the sewing machine, the periodic table of elements, and even... Google.

2. Most dreams don't carry any special revelation, but there are recorded cases of people dreaming about events that later occurred. Some of the most famous dreams in this category include Lincoln's dream about his assassination, Mark Twain's dream about his brother's death, dreams of Titanic passengers about the impending disaster, and dreams of some 9/11 victims warning them of imminent danger.

3. People who sleepwalk experience very deep dream states: they go on nightly adventures inspired by their dreams. One well-known case is Lee Hadwin, a nurse by profession, who becomes a painter in his dreams. While asleep, he creates magnificent portraits, with no recollection of how they came to be when he's awake. Other documented cases of activity while asleep include driving and jumping out of windows - which in the dream weren't windows at all but legitimate doors to another room.

4. The average person dreams for one to two hours each night, but you can have up to seven different dreams per night.

5. Animals also dream. If you have a dog or cat, you might notice them moving their paws and making noises while they sleep. They might be dreaming of chasing something - perhaps a particularly juicy mouse.

6. Ever met someone who claims they don't dream at all? That's not possible. We all dream, but nearly 60% of the population doesn't remember their dreams at all.

7. People who are blind from birth also dream - dreams without images, involving all senses except sight.

8. It's been scientifically proven that all the faces we see in dreams are faces we've encountered in real life. That witch who scared you in a dream yesterday? If you calm down, you'll realize she only has the face of the most annoying neighbor in your building.

9. For reasons unknown, there are more bad dreams than good ones. The three most reported emotions associated with dreams are anger, sadness, and fear.

10. Believe it or not, not everyone dreams in color. About one-tenth of the population dreams only in black and white!