If our dreams are a reflection of reality, how does someone who experiences a different
reality dream?
Hey folks, Laci Green here for DNews.
Here's something I had never really thought about: how do the blind experience their dreams?
It's a perspective completely removed from my own, having been able to see my whole life
-- well, minus when I take my glasses off and knock into things, but that's a slightly
different story.
A new study published in the journal Sleep Medicine took a little looksee at how the
blind dream.
For sighted people, dreaming is primarily a visual activity.
You remember images.
But if you don't have the sense of sight, other sensory information--the information
you rely on the most-- takes the lead.
The researchers looked at groups of people who were blind from birth (or congenitally
blind), those who became blind later in life, and those who can see.
Immediately after a dream, they were asked about their sensory experiences -- (what did
you see?
Did you taste anything?) -- as well as how they felt emotionally in the dream and if
there were any themes.
Like falling, or being able to fly, for instance.
Amongst the blind participants, most of the content in their dreams was made up of things
they *heard*. 86% of them experienced sounds and voices, as opposed to 64% of the seeing
group.
The scientists basically said that the longer the person was able to see during their life,
the more visual content there was in the dreams.
The blind also experienced more sensations of *touch* in their dreams - 70%, versus 45%
of the seeing group.
The blind were also much more likely to taste and smell than the seeing group.
In terms of emotional and thematic content, all the groups reported similar results -- but
the congenitally blind group did stand out in the way of....nightmares.
They were 4x more likely to report nightmares than the late onset blindness and seeing groups.
Why might those who are congenitally blind have more nightmares than everyone else?
The scientists aren't sure, but they have a theory!
Nightmares are one way that our brains process and cope with threats to our safety.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the blind tended to have nightmares about things
like getting hit by a car, getting lost, losing a guide dog.
It's unclear if this means that the blind experience more fear overall in their lives,
generally speaking.
So folks, what parts of your dreams do you remember most?
Or do you dream at all?
Let me know down below and don't forget to subscribe for more DNews!