Blog

How the real world leaks into your dreams

Your brain doesn't fully shut out the world when you sleep. Research shows how sounds, smells, and touch end up in your dreams.

Jacob Lowe

Published on Jul 30th · 5 min read

What scrolling before bed does to your dreams

86% of Americans scroll in bed before sleep. Research shows it changes what you dream about, not just how well you sleep.

Jacob Lowe

Published on Jul 23rd · 6 min read

The places your brain builds while you sleep

Nearly half of all dreams include a building or room. Research is starting to explain why your sleeping brain constructs entire locations from memory fragments, and why dream journalers keep visiting places that don't exist.

Jacob Lowe

Published on Jul 16th · 5 min read

Do your dreams actually mean anything? Here's what the research says

The 'dreams are random noise' camp and the 'dreams are coded messages' camp are both wrong. The real answer is stranger and more useful than either.

Jacob Lowe

Published on Jun 25th · 5 min read

Why are dreams so weird?

The weirdness of dreams isn't a glitch. Neuroscience has a few theories for why your sleeping brain generates such strange scenarios, and most of them say the strangeness is doing something useful.

Jacob Lowe

Published on Jun 25th · 6 min read

What does it mean when you dream about your teeth falling out?

About 39% of people have had this dream. The research on why is stranger than any dream dictionary will tell you.

Jacob Lowe

Published on Jun 18th · 6 min read

How long do dreams actually last?

The internet says 7 seconds. Sleep research says up to 45 minutes. Here's what scientists found when they timed dreams from the inside.

Jacob Lowe

Published on Jun 11th · 5 min read

Can you learn to lucid dream? What the research actually says

The internet sells lucid dreaming as a learnable superpower. The science tells a quieter, more interesting story.

Jacob Lowe

Published on Jun 4th · 5 min read

Does everyone dream every night? (The answer might surprise you)

Up to 6.5% of people say they never dream. Sleep research says otherwise. Here's what's actually happening when you think you had a dreamless night.

Jacob Lowe

Published on May 28th · 6 min read

You woke up. Except you didn't.

False awakenings trick you into thinking you're already up. Here's what research says about why they happen and what dream journalers notice about them.

Jacob Lowe

Published on May 28th · 5 min read