Sleep and Dreaming

Sleep is a basic bodily function and an essential pillar of wellness but getting a proper night's rest isn't always an easy task. This could be due to battling anxious thoughts, physical illness, a sleep disorder, or maybe you simply drank too much caffeine too late in the day. Whatever the reason, poor sleep quality can seriously detract from our overall quality of life.

Then when we finally do get a good night's sleep we often wake up with all kinds of curious dreams to unpack—and that's the fun part!

Learn more about what your dreams might be telling you, how to develop better sleep habits, and how your mind uses the downtime to work through unconscious and unresolved feelings or experiences.

Addicted young beautiful woman chatting and surfing on the internet using her smart phone sleepy bored and tired late at night in mobile addiction concept and insomnia
What Is Revenge Bedtime Procrastination?
A portal suspended in the sky among clouds offers a glimpse into a vivid digital world blurring the lines between reality and cyberspace
9 Common Dreams and What They Might Mean
Woman texting and reading on smartphone in bed in midnight
Tips for Getting Back to Sleep Fast
Woman sleeping in her bed at home
Want Better Sleep in 2024? We Put These 7 Sleep Apps to the Test

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much sleep do you need by age?

    The amount of sleep we need can vary depending on our age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists the amount of sleep we need, by age:

    • Newborns (0 to 3 months old): 14 to 17 hours of sleep per day (including naps)
    • Infants (4 to 12 months old): 12 to 16 hours of sleep per day (including naps)
    • Toddlers (1 to 2 years old): 11 to 14 hours of sleep per day (including naps)
    • Preschoolers (3 to 5 years old): 10 to 13 hours of sleep per day (including naps)
    • School-age children (6 to 12 years old): 9 to 12 hours of sleep per day
    • Teenagers (13 to 18 years old): 8 to 10 hours of sleep per day
    • Adults (19 to 60 years old): 7 or more hours of sleep per day
    • Adults (61 to 64 years old): 7 to 9 hours of sleep per day
    • Adults (65 years and above): 7 to 8 hours of sleep per day
    Learn More: How to Ditch Poor Sleep Hygiene
  • How can I sleep instantly?

    In order to fall asleep faster, you'll need to retrain your body and develop better sleep habits. Some of the habits to change include not reading and watching TV in bed, altering your behaviors in the hour leading up to sleep, and working on evening eating habits. Some skills you will develop include relaxation, not languishing in bed, and exposing yourself to more daylight.

    Learn More: How to Fall Asleep Faster
  • Does dreaming mean good sleep?

    It is possible to experience fragmentary dreams in non-REM sleep. This includes the lighter stages of sleep (called stage 1 and stage 2) and slow-wave sleep (called stage 3). It is believed that the dream content of non-REM is more simplistic. If REM-related dreams are a movie, non-REM dreams may be likened to a photograph.

    Learn More: Why Can't I Remember My Dreams?

Key Terms

  • Lucid Dream

    A lucid dream occurs when a person is asleep but aware that they are dreaming. In this state, a person can take control of their dream’s narrative to some degree, essentially guiding and directing the course of their dream.

    What Is a Lucid Dream?
  • Insomnia

    Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that affects millions of Americans. This often unrelenting condition can impact sleep in multiple ways, including causing difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early (and not being able to fall back asleep), and poor sleep quality. 

    What Is Insomnia?
  • REM

    Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is one of the four stages that the brain goes through during the sleep cycle. This period of the sleep cycle usually takes place about 90 minutes after a person first falls asleep. It is marked by a number of physiological changes that include muscle relaxation, eye movement, faster respiration, and increased brain activity.

    What Is REM Sleep?
  • Narcolepsy

    Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that is characterized by chronic, excessive daytime sleepiness. It is a neurological condition that impacts the brain's ability to manage the sleep-wake cycle. People who have this condition usually have a difficult time staying awake for extended periods of time, no matter what time it is or what they are doing.

    What Is Narcolepsy?
  • Sleep Apnea

    Sleep apnea is a common condition in which people stop breathing multiple times during the night due to upper airway obstruction. Because people briefly stop breathing, sometimes for 10 seconds or longer, their heart rate increases, blood oxygen levels drop, and sleep is briefly disrupted as the person wakes in order to breathe. 

    Reasons You're Not Sleeping Well
Person laying in bed can't sleep
How to Stop Nightmares From Terrorizing Your Sleep
Tornado on the Sea
What Do Dreams About Tornadoes Mean?
Legs of sleeping woman in bed, top view
Why You Should Try Sleeping Nude Tonight, According to Science
Woman lying on the bed at night
What Does It Mean When You Dream About Getting Shot?
woman experiencing a fever dream
What Does It Mean to Have a Fever Dream?
Dangers of Micro sleep Collage
Microsleep No More: How to Prevent Brief Sleep Episodes
3D illustration of double bed hovering in air and with white cloud above. Blue toned computer graphics. Moody attitude.
What Does It Mean to Dream About Spiders?
woman in a dreamlike landscape at night
Why Am I Naked in My Dreams Sometimes?
Young woman having insomnia while sitting on the bed at night in her bedroom.
What Does It Mean to Dream of Your Teeth Falling Out?
VWM-Science-of-Snoozing
What Happens to Your Body When You Hit The Snooze Button?
dream about being in school
What Does It Mean When You Dream About Being Back in School?
Couple sitting on bed having a conversation
What Does It Mean to Dream of Your Partner Cheating on You? Here's What Dream Experts Say
Silhouette of a man walking in a tunnel.
What Does It Mean When You Dream of Someone Who Has Died?
Image of couple sleeping on opposite sides of the bed
Partner's Snores Keeping You Up? Consider a Sleep Divorce
ASMR concept - microphone and makeup brush
How to Create an ASMR Sleep Routine That Will Put You Right to Bed
A woman envisioning a galaxy and a man unable to envision anything
Sleep Quiz: How Well Are You Sleeping?
Online Therapy Awards - Calm
Apps That Claim to Help You Sleep Are a Dime a Dozen – These 5 Actually Worked
Overlapping image of sleeping woman
Why You're Having Dreams About Death, According to a Dream Analyst
Teladoc app
I Couldn’t Get My Mind to Stop Racing at Night, So I Tried the Breethe App
Sleep Reset App
I Always Needed 30 Minutes to Fall Asleep, Until I Tried the Sleep Reset App
Insight Timer Open App
I’m a Therapist and I Tried Insight Timer to Improve My Sleep and Mindfulness
SleepWatch
Insomnia Was My Frenemy—Until I Started Using the SleepWatch App
Aura Sleep App Review
I’ve Spent 15 Years Struggling to Get a Good Night's Sleep—Could Aura Help Me?
man sleeping in bed
What Happens in Your Brain During a Wet Dream
two people laying in bed one asleep and one awake
How to Lucid Dream, According to a Psychologist and a Dream Analyst
person pregnant
What Does It Mean When You Dream About Pregnancy?
person who can't sleep and on their phone at night
What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i)?
Woman dreaming about a funeral in her sleep
What Does it Mean When You Dream About Someone Dying?
woman lying in bed dreaming about snakes
What It Means When You Dream About Snakes, According to Dream Experts
Man in bed dreaming about a woman
What Does It Mean When You Dream About Someone?
A black woman lies in bed. White linens. Dream. Cheerful morning. Good dream. Soft bed. Orthopedic mattress.
How to Practice Sleep Syncing for Better Sleep and Energy
Worried female laying in bed with her husband looking anxious and concerned while thinking of her relationship issues. A man sleeping while his wife lays awake at night feeling depressed and troubled
What Is Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)?
sleepy woman
Sleep Inertia: Getting Past the Grogginess
Person sleeping on a bed floating in the water with mountains in the distance
5 Sleep Strategies From Around the World
close up of a small black antique alarm clock, in a warm light and shadow of plants
Sleep Debt: Is It Real?
Man Wearing a Pulse Oximeter - At Home Sleep Study Test for Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Its Effect on Mental Health
Top View of a Beautiful Woman Lying in Bed
'I Want to Sleep But My Body Won’t Let Me': Why Does This Happen?
Woman with Insomnia. Young woman lying on bed with hand on forehead.
What Is Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome?
Top View of Young Woman Sleeping Cozily on a Bed in Bedroom at Night
The Military Sleep Method: Benefits and How It Works
Woman in depression closed face with hands and crying in bed. Melancholy mood, mental health. Life problems
Do I Have Sleep Anxiety?
older perosn awake in bed at night
What Is a Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder?
woman sleeping on bed
8 Best Podcasts to Fall Asleep To
female doctor leaning against wall with head in hand
What Is Shift Work Sleep Disorder?
Couple sleeping in Bed together
How Does the Scandinavian Sleep Method Work?
Lady sleeps in bed tossing turning in dream under blanket
How Your Chronotype Affects Your Quality of Sleep
sleep apnea test study device on someone while they sleep
Can Sleep Apnea Be Cured?
Closeup melancholic woman lying put hand on face feels unwell
What Are Stress Dreams?
Man sleeping on his side in bed with a colorful pillow
How Your Sleeping Positions Impact Your Well-Being
a woman laying in bed awake at night because she cannot sleep and stares at the ceiling with a worried look on her face
What Is a Dyssomnia?
woman lying in bed with eyes open
Understanding Sleep Paralysis
Rear view of woman sitting alone on bed in room and looking through window at night
What Is Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder?
woman taking vitamins
Can Magnesium Glycinate Help You Sleep?
Calm, a wellness and guided meditation app.
I Tried the Calm App to Help Improve My Sleep Habits
sad woman laying awake in bed
Sleep Disorders: Types, Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
tired teen
The Role of Sleep in Teen Mental Health
Woman sleeping near bedside table with water
What Is NREM Sleep?
person sleepy during the day
What Is Excessive Sleepiness?
yoga for sleep
The Benefits of Yoga for Sleep
person sad in bed
Why Do I Cry in My Sleep?
person awake at night
How to Know That You Had a Vivid Dream
Page Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How much sleep do I need?

  2. Martin, J et al. Structural differences between REM and non-REM dream reports assessed by graph analysis. PLOS One. 2020 July. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0228903

  3. Cleveland Clinic. Sleep basics.