How do the dreams we see while sleeping change with age?
The dreams we have while sleeping vary from person to person, with young children dreaming of monsters under their beds and busy working adults dreaming of deadlines. The question, 'Is there scientific evidence that dreams change with age?' has been answered by Live Science, a science media outlet.
Do your dreams change as you age? | Live Science
Little research has been done on how dream content changes with age. Dr. Giulio Bernardi, head of the Sleep, Plasticity and Conscious Experience research group at the IMT School of Advanced Studies in Lucca in Italy, said, 'Dreams depend on neural systems involved in imagination, memory and emotion, all of which develop and reorganize with age. However, there has been surprisingly little research that has systematically examined how dreams change across the lifespan.'
That said, some research has looked at the relationship between age and dreaming. A 2005 study of nearly 300 dream reports found that people report different types of dreams depending on their stage in life. Specifically, younger people tend to report more vivid and emotional dreams, while older people tend to report more complex, less emotional dreams.
One of the simplest and most common explanations for how people's dreams change is called the '
For example, if you fall asleep while relaxing on vacation, you might dream of sun and sand, which are images associated with vacations, but if you fall asleep while feeling anxious about work, you might dream of being in the office and facing a deadline.
However, similarities between sleep and reality don't explain why dreams change with age. Bernardi points out, 'Changes in dreams throughout life reflect a complex interplay between brain development, sleep architecture, and cognitive and emotional maturation.' Factors that influence dreams range from everyday memories to sleep quality, which also affect how well dreams are remembered.
Sleep researcher David Foulkes conducted fundamental research on children's dreams between the 1970s and 1990s, finding that children's dreams tend to be relatively simple, featuring animals, static objects, and simple interactions.
During adolescence, dreams tend to become more frequent and vivid than in childhood. This may reflect the many changes young people experience in the real world: early adolescents report dreams of falling, being chased, and fighting monsters or animals, while older adolescents tend to re-experience stressors from school and new relationships.
The study also found that as people get older, their dreams tend to become more mundane and reflect the complexity of reality. Adults and older adults frequently dream of arriving late somewhere and repeatedly trying to accomplish something.
It has been shown that older people dream less frequently, and there are also more cases where people remember having dreams but don't fully understand them. This lack of dream memory may be related to the decline in sleep quality and the decline in the ability to remember what is seen during sleep.
Near the end of life, people are more likely to dream about loved ones who have passed away or about packing and preparing to travel. Studies of hospice patients have found these dreams to be comforting and soothing, reflecting the introspection common at the end of life.
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