Exploring Mysteries: How Do Blind People Dream?
Have you ever wondered how do blind people dream? If our dreams are a reflection of reality, then how does someone who experiences a different reality dream?
A study published in the journal Sleep Medicine looked at the intriguing issue of how blind people dream. For people with a normally developed sense of sight, dreaming is primarily a visual activity: they remember images. But for those who lack the ability to see, then other sensory information - the information these people rely on most - takes over.
The researchers looked at groups of people blind from birth (with congenital blindness), people who became blind during their lifetime, and people who can see normally.
Immediately after dreaming, the subjects were asked to describe their sensory experiences - "What did you see?" "Did you taste anything?" - as well as how they felt emotionally in the dream as well as whether there were themes such as falling or being able to fly, for example.
A study published in the journal Sleep Medicine looked at the intriguing issue of how blind people dream. For people with a normally developed sense of sight, dreaming is primarily a visual activity: they remember images. But for those who lack the ability to see, then other sensory information - the information these people rely on most - takes over.
The researchers looked at groups of people blind from birth (with congenital blindness), people who became blind during their lifetime, and people who can see normally.
Immediately after dreaming, the subjects were asked to describe their sensory experiences - "What did you see?" "Did you taste anything?" - as well as how they felt emotionally in the dream as well as whether there were themes such as falling or being able to fly, for example.
The Research About How Blind People Dream
Among the blind participants, most of the content of their dreams consisted of things they heard - 86% of them experienced sounds and voices. The scientists said that the longer a person had held the ability to see in their lifetime, the more visual content they found in their dreams.
Blind people also experienced more tactile sensations in their dreams - 70%, compared with 45% in the group with the normal visual sense. The blind persons also had a period in their dreams when they used the senses of taste or smell.
In terms of emotional and thematic content, all groups reported similar results.
Blind people also experienced more tactile sensations in their dreams - 70%, compared with 45% in the group with the normal visual sense. The blind persons also had a period in their dreams when they used the senses of taste or smell.
In terms of emotional and thematic content, all groups reported similar results.
A Mystery Regarding The Dreams Of Congenital Blind People
The people with congenital blindness stood out in a certain way during the study: they had more nightmares than the rest. They reported four times as many nightmares as the group of people who became blind during their lifetimes and of those who could see normally.
So why do they seem to have more nightmares than the others? It's a bit of a mystery! Scientists aren't quite sure, but they have a theory. They believe that nightmares are one of the ways our brains process and cope with threats to our safety. If so, it should come as no surprise that blind people tend to have nightmares about things like being hit by a car, getting lost, or losing their guide dog.
However, it's still unclear whether blind people generally experience more fear in their lifetime than sighted people.
So why do they seem to have more nightmares than the others? It's a bit of a mystery! Scientists aren't quite sure, but they have a theory. They believe that nightmares are one of the ways our brains process and cope with threats to our safety. If so, it should come as no surprise that blind people tend to have nightmares about things like being hit by a car, getting lost, or losing their guide dog.
However, it's still unclear whether blind people generally experience more fear in their lifetime than sighted people.
