Can we control our dreams?

Although the ability to direct dreams is often seen in sci-fi films, the techniques of controlling or at least influencing dreams are also the subject of research on sleep. This phenomenon, known since Aristotle, who had written his observations about controllable dreams, can be described as “being aware that you are in a dream”. Researchers say such dreams cannot be seen willingly, but they may be more likely to see through different methods.

Such dreams are usually thought to occur during REM sleep. In Dreams during REM sleep, the brain's anterior region, which is responsible for logical thinking and short-term memory, is inactive. However, it is thought that this area was functioning at a level where it was awake when it was having controllable dreams. This situation, where logic and Dream are simultaneously activated, can give the dreamer the opportunity to control his dream. Studies are underway to understand what kind of differences occur in the brain when you are having controllable dreams and normal dreams.

Different methods are being applied to increase the likelihood of experiencing controllable dreams. For example, a reminder to yourself that you are constantly conscious during the day-the reality test - is one of these methods. Because this habitual state increases our awareness that our actions must be sensible when we are conscious, an act that goes against logic-flying, for example - can make us realize that we are dreaming.