Thread: people who "don't dream"

You are right, but you can also say these people don't live. Just another variable in...

The Matrix

it all depends I think- some medication might prevent dreams/dream recall, also on the discovery channel there was a program about dreaming that says that some people who have had strokes don't dream. But for someone to have "never had a dream"- possible but an anomaly. In any case:

For a regular person It's easier to believe that someone doesn't dream then to believe someone who says he has "lucid dreams"

if lucid dreams are possible, surely not-dreaming, or a state of zero dream recall, is possible as well?

People with massive damage to the parietal lobe of their brain lose the ability to dream. Protect your brains, children.

i think in a lot of cases its a good thing to go on auto pilot for some things. like.. how would you like it if you had to think about every time you went up the stairs? every step you took you really had to think about and judge the exact distance and how much you have to lift your foot up? im grateful for that auto pilot.
most people who claim they dont dream are just uneducated and they really dont try to remember dreams.

Originally Posted by lucidspark64

i think most of us here know that everyone has dreams (unless maybe you were born blind, you probably just hear voices or something).

but the people who claim they never dream, you think maybe they're just constantly on autopilot or daydreaming?

like in that hometown buffet commercial. this person probably "never dreams"

(Alarm clock - Traffic Jam - Copy Machine - Cubical...start cycle over next day)

i can imagine maybe people who live the same day everyday probably just become automatic for them since there's no change, therefor losing awarness and forgetting dreams.

in another one of my forums some suggest that it's like when we go to do something but forget what we were suppose to do when we get there because of being on autopilot.

i'm thinking it's also almost like when you learn to drive a car. you're fully aware within maybe the 1st few months (depending how quick you learn) and eventually your almost never consciously aware that your actually driving and then we tend to daydream (just like those people who get on the exit ramp at the last second)

Good theory. Even people who do not think they dream show signs of dreaming (REM, brainwaves, etc) as they sleep - but what science cannot tell us is how exactly they dream. So it is very likely that people who do not pay attention to their dreaming, dream as if they were "going up the stairs" or something similarly automatic. But your theory at its most basic form boils down to something we already know

Interesting, while I have recalled dreams, my dream recall is almost zero. I mean two month and I was able to remember a couple of dreams some of which I was only able to remember the ending I've always heard that everyone dreams, but, I'm being to wonder if you do indeed dream on a daily basis or if you dream every once in a while. Do any of you guys have an article where it explains and proves that everyone must dream to survive or something along those lines?

No... It's not like learning to drive a car. You don't learn to dream.

The reason why people "don't dream" is because they don't remember their dreams. And we don't remember our dreams, because we don't care to. Our culture is not a dreaming culture. Our mornings are not lazy, reflective, preparations for the day. We hurry, eat a tiny breakfast, and sprint to the nearest bus stop, so that we can get our day over with as fast as possible.

Also, blind people do dream. It's just with the other senses. Physiologically, our dreams are characterized by the same chemical processes, brainwave characteristics, etc.

Originally Posted by Abra

No... It's not like learning to drive a car. You don't learn to dream.

The reason why people "don't dream" is because they don't remember their dreams. And we don't remember our dreams, because we don't care to. Our culture is not a dreaming culture. Our mornings are not lazy, reflective, preparations for the day. We hurry, eat a tiny breakfast, and sprint to the nearest bus stop, so that we can get our day over with as fast as possible.

Also, blind people do dream. It's just with the other senses. Physiologically, our dreams are characterized by the same chemical processes, brainwave characteristics, etc.

hmm, which raises the question of why don't we remember our dream? Also, you claim that we don't remember our dreams and that everyone dreams, any article/evidence to prove it? I'm really interested in reading more about the subject, because, I can barely remember any dreams in a given month

Originally Posted by BigFan

hmm, which raises the question of why don't we remember our dream? Also, you claim that we don't remember our dreams and that everyone dreams, any article/evidence to prove it? I'm really interested in reading more about the subject, because, I can barely remember any dreams in a given month

You dream every night, multiple times per night (assuming you get more than two hours of sleep per night). Read here to learn more about sleep cycles. Then click "dream recall."

Originally Posted by Abra

You dream every night, multiple times per night (assuming you get more than two hours of sleep per night). Read here to learn more about sleep cycles. Then click "dream recall."

Well, I took a psyc course that dealt with sleep in terms of the five cycle and how long they lasted, waves, etc.... but I'll scan that page quickly and regain the info

Originally Posted by BigFan

Well, I took a psyc course that dealt with sleep in terms of the five cycle and how long they lasted, waves, etc.... but I'll scan that page quickly and regain the info

BigFan- try drinking green tea with no sugar prior and during the night, and plenty of milk during the day- do this for several days and see what happens

Originally Posted by yuriythebest

BigFan- try drinking green tea with no sugar prior and during the night, and plenty of milk during the day- do this for several days and see what happens

hmm, I don't drink much milk or tea, although, I should be doing so at least for the milk part. As for the tea part, I usually try avoiding some caffeine before nightime, because, I was having a hard time falling asleep. Funny enough, as I write this, I am drinking tea, just not green tea

Originally Posted by yuriythebest

BigFan- try drinking green tea with no sugar prior and during the night, and plenty of milk during the day- do this for several days and see what happens

Hehe, Yuri. Keep throwing your tests at people.

I hope this one works.

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Hehe, Yuri. Keep throwing your tests at people.

I hope this one works.

lol, I might try the green tea one because I just read the green tea and it seems to aid in recall at least but not sure about milk

I used to think i didn't dream untill i looked it up because i thought i was odd... I now remember the most dreams out of everyone i know about 3 a night now

Originally Posted by BigFan

Interesting, while I have recalled dreams, my dream recall is almost zero. I mean two month and I was able to remember a couple of dreams some of which I was only able to remember the ending I've always heard that everyone dreams, but, I'm being to wonder if you do indeed dream on a daily basis or if you dream every once in a while. Do any of you guys have an article where it explains and proves that everyone must dream to survive or something along those lines?

Here's a few things I've found.


1.) Get a good nights sleep. Whenever I go to bed exhausted and tired, it tends to hurt my recall.

2.) Do not move an inch after waking up. Try to remember your dream the instant you wake up. The more you move, the more you forget (this happens to me).

3.) If you want the *best* recall, wake yourself up during REM sleep. Whenever I'm woken out of REM I can remember my dreams quite vividly. To do so, either set an alarm to go off after 6-7 hours or drink lots of water before bed time (this can backfire because it could wake you up before REM). The cool thing about this is that you usually can remember more dreams (one after waking up the first time, then the second after walking up for real).

4.) Drink milk 30 minutes - 1 hour before going to sleep (Not quite sure why, but this produces vivid dreams and helps recall for me at least).

5.) Before going to bed, repeat this sentence in your head "I will remember my dream." before going to sleep. Works every now and then, but it's worth a good shot.

As for only remembering the end, I'm pretty sure everyone usually remembers the end of them.

I can't even remember many dreams where I've remembered it from start to finish without being lucid. Usually, I remember the outcome and that's it.

Originally Posted by Abra

No... It's not like learning to drive a car. You don't learn to dream.

i was talking about being on autopilot and affecting their dreams. most people who make this claim are probably older with not much going on in their life. and maybe they have a simple desk job and not much intention to progress from where they stand. i'm not sure who these people are but that would be my guess.

...just guessing

and with that, it becomes easy to lose awarness and then end up becoming less aware in their dreams.

i think i made myself clear