It is quite likely that dreams have existed for as long as their have been humans to dream them. Dreams are an integral part of the human experience, and every person dreams at least four times, and as many as seven times, each and every night for their entire lives. It is even thought that unborn babies dream while they are still in the womb.

With such an important place in human history, it is no wonder that dream interpretation has such a long and storied history. Everyone wants to know what his or her dreams mean, and dream interpretation and analysis is likely as old as dreams themselves.

The interpretation and analysis of dreams is known to go back at least as far as 3000-4000 B.C., since a number of stone tablets containing dream interpretations have been discovered by archeologists.

People in primitive societies were often thought to make no distinction between the world of dreams and the waking world. Indeed, many people thought of the dream world as more real than the physical one, and thought that the world encountered in dreams was merely an extension of the physical world.

Many ancient peoples thought of the dream world as the time when the soul left the body to commune with the world of the spirits. It was thought that the soul departed the body each night, and visited the world of the ancestors. During this time the dreamer’s soul was gathering knowledge and wisdom from departed ancestors, both recent and ancient.

In other societies, those who could interpret and analyze dreams were held in very high regard, and given a special place in their societies. The Romans and Greeks in particular paid much attention to the analysis of dreams, and they used the analysis of dreams to determine the best course of action in matters ranging from politics to warfare.

The ancient Egyptians as well saw knowledge, power and spirituality in dreams, and gave those who could analyze and interpret them an honored place in the world. The ancient Egyptians often saw dreams as a way for the gods to communicate with the mortal world, and those dream messages were taken very seriously.

Many societies placed special emphasis on dreams that were seen to be prophecies. The dreams of generals on the eve of battle were given special analysis, and those interpretations often figured into the decisions made on the battlefield.

The ancient and modern world are both full of dreams seen to be prophetic. The Bible in particular is a rich source of information on all kinds of dreams and prophecies, and there are many dreams and interpretations of dreams contained within the pages of the Bible. The prophets of the Old Testament often consulted with dream interpreters for advice on politics, warfare and other relationships.

During the early part of the 19th century, the interpretation of dreams fell out of favor, and dreams were given little significance during that time. During this period of time, dreams were thought to be the result of bad food, indigestion, anxiety or even noises in the night.

Later in the 19th century, however, Sigmund Freud would start his psychiatric practice and revolutionize the interpretation of dreams. Freud’s work on dreams is still considered a seminal work even today, and many of Freud’s theories of dream interpretation are still studied and followed over a century later.

Dreams have been around for at least as long as human beings, and dreams are universal, experienced by men and women, young and old, and people of all cultures and ethnicities. In some ways, dreams are a universal language, and there are certain themes, such as falling, flying, taking a test and finding yourself naked, that show up in dreams throughout the world. Dreams, it could be said, represent a kind of universal human language.

Dreams have been studied throughout history, and dream interpretation is an old art form indeed, dating back at least as far as 3000-4000 B.C. Even today, dream interpreters are highly sought out for their help untangling the sometimes puzzling world of dreams.

You may think you know everything there is to know about dreams and dream interpretation, but did you know that:

 A third of our lives is spent in sleep, and a good amount of that time is spent in dreams.
 The average person dreams from between four to seven times every night. That means that by the time you reach the age of 80, you will have had between 116,800 and 204,400 dreams.
 That number may be even larger, since there is evidence that dreaming begins even before birth. No one deigns to know what unborn babies dream about, but there is evidence that they do dream.
 In the average lifetime, a person will have spent approximately six years in dream sleep, equivalent to more than 2,100 days of dreaming.
 There are records of dream interpretation, written on clay tablets, dating back more than 4,000 years.
 Those who could interpret dreams were held in high regard in Roman and Greek societies, and their counsel was sought before making significant political and military decisions.
 Everyone dreams every night, even though only a tiny fraction of those dreams are remembered upon waking.
 Many animals dream as well, although no one has been able to ask them what they dream about.
 People have to dream, though no one really knows why. What we do know is that preventing people from dreaming can cause irritability, mood changes and even hallucinations.
 The average person spends about one quarter of his or her sleep time in dream sleep, and dreams an average of four to seven times during that time.
 The average episode of dream sleep lasts about 10 to 15 minutes.
 Dreams slip away very quickly upon waking. It is estimated that as much as half the dream’s content is forgotten within five minutes, and after only ten minutes up to 90% of the dream can be gone forever.
 Men dream more about other men than about women, but women tend to dream about men and women equally.
 The brain is actually more active, not less during dream sleep than during wakefulness.
 People who are awakened during dream sleep are able to recall their dreams vividly and in great detail, while those who wake normally generally are not.
 Both men and women experience sexual arousal during most dreams, regardless of whether the nature of the dream was sexual or not.
 Smokers who are quitting often experience more intense dreams than either non smokers or current smokers.
 Babies and toddlers dream just as adults do, but studies have revealed they do not dream about themselves. Toddlers generally do not appear in their own dreams until they are at least three or four years old.
 It is not possible to dream and snore simultaneously.
 Nightmares are a common trauma of childhood, with the first nightmares usually occurring by the age of three, and typically lasting at least until the child is seven or eight years old.
 Many people report having experienced Déjà vu in their dreams, but dreams involving Déjà vu are more common in women than in men.