Dream a little dream
Imagine this: You’re in school, and it’s the day of a big test, but you forgot to study. Your teacher asks you to take out your pencil, and you can’t find it. Then you look down at your feet and you’ve forgotten to put on shoes. Suddenly, a dinosaur bursts through the door of your classroom. Oh, thank goodness — it’s just a dream! Have you ever had a strange dream like that?
Why we dream
People dream all sorts of funny things, and there are a lot of theories about why. Some people think it’s just a way of working through things you see during the day. For example, if you haven’t seen your Aunt Sally in months, then your mom says Aunt Sally is coming to visit, you might dream that night about Aunt Sally. It also might be that dreams help us solve problems or figure out how we feel about something. If you have a fight with your brother, you might dream that night of talking out the problem. Your normal world might come into your dreams, too. Have you ever dreamed that someone was calling your name and then woken up to hear that someone was?
Nightmares
Some dreams are fun, but others are very scary. Nightmares are very common, especially if you’re going through something tough. That dream about test day might come when you’re feeling nervous about an upcoming test. You also might have weird, scary dreams when you’re sick or taking medicine. They can be scary while you’re asleep, and you might wake up with your heart pounding, but the most important thing to do is remember that they’re not real.
Lucid dreams
Have you ever known when you’re dreaming that you’re dreaming? Those kinds of dreams are called “lucid dreams.” It can make nightmares a little less scary (you can tell that dinosaur you know he’s not real and make him go away), or fun dreams more fun (ever wanted to try flying? In your dreams, anything is possible!).