Curious About Dreams

PODCAST 201: CURIOUS ABOUT DREAMS

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 7TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  TWO HUNDRED WEEKS AGO, WE RELEASED OUR VERY FIRST EPISODE ON SLEEP.  OLIVIA WAS ONLY FOUR YEARS OLD IN OUR FIRST EPISODE.  WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE REALLY COOL IF WE COVERED A TOPIC THAT’S RELATED TO SLEEP EXACTLY TWO HUNDRED WEEKS LATER, FOR EPISODE 201.

O:  SEXTUPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  SEXTUPLE-MAILBAG! - THAT’S 6!!!

“HI, MY NAME IS JANE AND I’M AGE 8.  I KNOW EVERYONE SAYS THIS, BUT I LOVE YOUR PODCAST.  I FOUND YOUR PODCAST ON THE TEN NEWS.  MY FAVORITE IS CURIOUS ABOUT DRAGONS.  I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU WOULD BE CURIOUS ABOUT DREAMS.  

FROM JANE, WHO LEFT US A 5 STAR REVIEW BACK IN JUNE OF 2021.”

“DEAR JACOB AND OLIVIA, WE LOVE YOUR PODCAST!  OUR NAMES ARE LIVVY (8 YEARS OLD) AND CHARLOTTE (5 YEARS OLD), AND WE ARE FROM DEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.  WE LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST WHEN WE ARE IN THE CAR AND WE LOVE LEARNING NEW THINGS.  WE HAVE LISTENED TO ALMOST EVERY EPISODE!  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS OUR FAVORITE PART!  WE HAVE THREE QUESTIONS FOR YOU!  1.  CAN YOU HAVE THE SAME DREAM, OR NIGHTMARE, MORE THAN ONCE?  2.  WHERE DO NUMBERS COME FROM?  3.  WHERE DO LETTERS COME FROM?  THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO!  WE ARE SO CURIOUS!  

FROM LIVVY, CHARLOTTE, AND KATE (THEIR MOM)”

“HI THERE!  MY 10 YEAR OLD GRANDDAUGHTER, BROOKLYN, LOVES YOUR PODCAST!  SHE IS CURIOUS ABOUT DREAMS.  CAN YOU DO A PODCAST ABOUT DREAMS?

FROM BROOKLYN, OF ORANGE, CALIFORNIA”

“HI, MY NAME IS SIMON AND I LIVE IN RANDOLPH, OHIO.  MY SISTER LILLY AND I ARE REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES.  WHY DO WE HAVE DREAMS AND WHY DO THEY GET SCARY SOMETIMES?  WE LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST WHEN WE TAKE LONG TRIPS IN THE CAR!  

THANKS, FROM SIMON AND LILLY”

“HI OLIVIA AND JACOB, MY NAME IS ADELIA (AH-DAY-LEE-AH), I LOVE YOUR PODCAST.  I’M CURIOUS ABOUT DREAMS, CHRISTMAS TREES, AND MANATEES!

ADELIA, FROM VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA”

“DEAR CURIOUS KID PODCAST, MY NAME IS COCO.  I AM FIVE AND A HALF YEARS OLD.  I LIVE IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS.  MY BROTHER JACK (8 YEARS OLD) AND I LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST EVERY DAY ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT DREAMS.  WHY DO WE HAVE DREAMS?  WHY DO WE DREAM ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE DO?  THANKS!

FROM COCO OF FORT WORTH TEXAS”

O:  HOLY MOLEY.  IT’S SO AMAZING TO HEAR FROM LOTS OF LISTENERS FROM ALL ACROSS NORTH AMERICA.  MASSACHUSETTS, CALIFORNIA, OHIO, TEXAS, AND BRITISH COLUMBIA… ALL REPRESENTED IN THIS WEEK’S MAILBAG.  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT DREAMS THIS WEEK FOR JANE, LIVVY, CHARLOTTE, BROOKLYN, SIMON, LILLY, ADELIA (AH-DAY-LEE-AH), AND COCO.  I’M ALSO VERY CURIOUS ABOUT DREAMS, SO I CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE.

D:  JUST A QUICK WARNING BEFORE WE GET INTO THIS EPISODE.  A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT DREAMS ARE STILL A MYSTERY.  USUALLY, WHEN WE GET CURIOUS ABOUT A TOPIC, LIKE MICROWAVES, LIGHT BULBS, BRIDGES, ROLLERCOASTERS, AND SO ON, THERE ISN’T A LOT THAT IS MYSTERIOUS ABOUT THOSE TOPICS.  THEY CAN ALL BE EXPLAINED BY THE SCIENCE BEHIND THEM.  DREAMS, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE BEEN EXAMINED FOR A VERY LONG TIME, AND WE STILL DON’T KNOW EXACTLY HOW THEY WORK.  

O:  THERE WILL BE A LOT OF INTERESTING FACTS IN THIS EPISODE, BUT THERE WILL ALSO BE A FEW THEORIES MIXED IN, BECAUSE SCIENTISTS STILL DON’T AGREE ON SOME THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO SLEEP.   

D:  LET’S GET STARTED WITH SOMETHING THAT ISN’T A MYSTERY AT ALL, OUR QUESTION OF THE WEEK.

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, DO MORE PEOPLE DREAM IN COLOR OR IN BLACK AND WHITE?

D:  COOL QUESTION.  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING OF THE ANSWER, LET’S LEARN ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE SLEEP.  

O:  WHEN WE SLEEP, OUR BODIES ARE RESTING AND GETTING ENERGY FOR THE NEXT DAY, BUT THERE IS ONE PART OF OUR BODY THAT STAYS SUPER BUSY, OUR BRAINS.  

D:  OUR BRAINS ARE ACTUALLY MORE ACTIVE WHILE WE ARE SLEEPING THAN THEY ARE WHILE WE ARE AWAKE.  

O:  EVEN THOUGH OUR BRAINS ARE WORKING HARD DURING SLEEP, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT OUR BRAINS DO BETTER WHILE WE SLEEP AND SOME THINGS OUR BRAINS DON’T DO AS WELL.

D:  FOR EXAMPLE, THE BRAIN DOES A GREAT JOB PROCESSING ALL OF THE THINGS YOU DID THAT DAY WHILE YOU’RE SLEEPING.  IT ALSO DOES A GREAT JOB SORTING OUR YOUR FEELINGS WHILE YOU’RE ASLEEP.

O:  THE BRAIN HAS TROUBLE APPLYING LOGIC WHILE WE’RE SLEEPING.  THAT MEANS THAT YOU CAN HAVE A DREAM ABOUT TALKING TO A BASKETBALL THAT HAS HAIR AND A MOUTH AND TALKS BACK TO YOU, AND YOUR BRAIN WON’T BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THAT THE DREAM IS SILLY AND CAN’T POSSIBLY BE TRUE.

D:  WHEN YOU SLEEP, THERE ARE 4 STAGES OF SLEEP THAT YOU GO THROUGH OVER AND OVER AGAIN DURING THE NIGHT.  

O:  IN STAGE 1, YOU ARE GOING FROM BEING AWAKE TO A LIGHT SLEEP, AND THIS STAGE ONLY LASTS ABOUT 5 TO 10 MINUTES.

D:  DURING THIS STAGE OF SLEEP, MY MIND IS ALWAYS WANDERING, AND I’M THINKING ABOUT ALL OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED THAT DAY AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE COMING UP SOON.

O:  IN STAGE 2, YOUR BODY SLOWS DOWN.  YOUR HEART RATE ACTUALLY DROPS AND SO DOES YOUR BODY TEMPERATURE.  THIS STAGE LASTS ABOUT 20 MINUTES.

D:  IN THE THIRD STAGE, THE MUSCLES RELAX AND WE BREATHE A BIT LESS AND OUR BLOOD PRESSURE EVEN DROPS A BIT.  STAGE 3 IS A DEEP SLEEP.

O:  AND THE LAST STAGE, STAGE 4, IS CALLED R.E.M. SLEEP.  THE LETTERS R.E.M. STAND FOR RAPID EYE MOVEMENT.  THE BRAIN IS WORKING SUPER HARD IN THIS STAGE AND THE BODY IS MOTIONLESS.  OUR EYES ARE CLOSED, BUT OUR EYEBALLS ARE MOVING AROUND A LOT BEHIND OUT EYELIDS, WHICH IS WHY THIS STAGE IS CALLED RAPID EYE MOVEMENT.  THIS IS THE STAGE OF SLEEP WHERE WE USUALLY DREAM.

D:  ALL 4 STAGES TAKE A TOTAL OF ABOUT 90 MINUTES TO COMPLETE.  AFTER STAGE 4, WE GO RIGHT BACK TO STAGE 1 AND START THE PROCESS ALL OVER AGAIN.  MANY PEOPLE GO THROUGH ALL 4 STAGES OF SLEEP 5 OR MORE TIMES A NIGHT.  

O:  NOW, LET’S TALK ABOUT WHY WE DREAM.  THIS IS THE PART OF THE EPISODE WHERE WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS SOME THEORIES, BECAUSE THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT THEORIES AS TO WHY WE DREAM.

D:  AT FIRST, AS WE DOZE OFF AT NIGHT, WE USUALLY HAVE DREAMS THAT ARE ORDINARY, LIKE PLAYING WITH OUR FRIENDS, BUT THE CLOSER WE GET TO R.E.M. SLEEP, THE TYPES OF DREAMS WE HAVE CAN START TO GET A BIT SILLY, OR EVEN SCARY.  WHY DO WE HAVE THOSE DREAMS?  HERE ARE A FEW OF THE MOST POPULAR THEORIES.

O:  ONE POPULAR EXPLANATION FOR OUR DREAMS IS THAT THEY ARE A WAY TO STORE ALL OF THE IMPORTANT DETAILS FROM THE DAY INTO OUR MEMORIES.  

D:  ANOTHER DREAM THEORY IS THAT THEY ARE A WAY TO HELP US SORT THROUGH OUR FEELINGS.  I REMEMBER, WHEN I WAS AT SCHOOL, I FREQUENTLY HAD DREAMS ABOUT BEING UNPREPARED FOR A TEST.  THE DREAMS MADE ME PRETTY ANXIOUS AND NERVOUS.  IN THE DREAM, I WOULD BE IN THE CLASSROOM, ABOUT TO TAKE A TEST, AND I WOULD REALIZE THAT I WASN’T PREPARED AT ALL.  MAYBE I HAD THESE DREAMS TO SHOW ME HOW SCARY IT COULD BE TO FEEL UNPREPARED FOR A TEST, SO THAT I MADE SURE NOT TO CARRY THAT FEELING INTO THE REAL WORLD, WHICH PERHAPS HELPED ME STUDY EVEN HARDER.

O:  SOME SCIENTISTS THINK THAT DREAMS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DETAILS OF OUR DAY OR THE FEELINGS WE ARE HAVING.  SOME THINK THAT OUR DREAMS ARE A WAY OF PLANTING CREATIVE IDEAS IN OUR MINDS.

D:  THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE THAT CREDIT DREAMS FOR AMAZING INVENTIONS.  HAVE YOU HEARD OF GOOGLE, THE MOST POPULAR SEARCH ENGINE IN THE WORLD?  WELL, IT WAS INSPIRED BY A DREAM.  IN 1996, LARRY PAGE, ONE OF THE CREATORS OF GOOGLE, HAD A DREAM THAT HE MADE IT INTO COLLEGE BECAUSE OF AN ERROR, AND THAT ONCE THE ERROR WAS DISCOVERED, HE WOULD BE KICKED OUT.  THIS INSPIRED HIM TO COME UP WITH A WAY TO GET ALL OF THE CONTENT ON THE INTERNET AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE FROM THEIR PERSONAL COMPUTERS.  BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH DATA, THE ONLY WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS WAS TO MAKE THEM SEARCHABLE AS LINKS.  THAT’S HOW THE IDEA FOR GOOGLE WAS BORN.

O:  THE SHAPE OF DNA WAS ALSO DISCOVERED FROM A DREAM.  DR. JAMES WATSON DREAMED OF A SPIRAL STAIRCASE BACK IN 1953, AND THAT INSPIRED HIM TO CONSIDER THE DOUBLE HELIX AS THE POSSIBLE STRUCTURE FOR DNA.

D:  ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE BEATLES SONGS ALSO CAME FROM A DREAM.  PAUL MCCARTNEY HAD A DREAM, AND WHEN HE AWOKE, THE MELODY FOR YESTERDAY WAS PLAYING IN HIS HEAD.  HE PLAYED IT ON THE PIANO, BUT HE WAS CONVINCED THAT HE COULDN’T HAVE POSSIBLY COME UP WITH SUCH A BEAUTIFUL MELODY IN A DREAM.  THAT’S WHEN HE SHARED THE MELODY WITH LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE, AND NOBODY HE SHARED IT WITH THOUGHT IT SOUNDED FAMILIAR.  AFTER HE WAS CONVINCED THAT THE SONG DIDN’T ALREADY EXIST, AND THAT IT MUST’VE TRULY COME FROM HIS DREAM, HE FINISHED THE SONG AND COMPLETED THE LYRICS.  WHILE IT WAS PLAYING IN HIS HEAD, THE WORKING TITLE OF THE SONG WAS “SCRAMBLED EGGS”, BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE WORDS HE PUT TOGETHER WHEN THE SONG PLAYED IN HIS HEAD AFTER THE DREAM.  THANKFULLY, HE CHANGED THE WORDS A BIT AND WROTE ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE SONGS IN HISTORY, YESTERDAY.    

O:  I LOVE THAT BEATLES SONG.  I CAN’T BELIEVE IT CAME FROM A DREAM.  DID YOU KNOW THAT KIDS DREAM DIFFERENTLY THAN ADULTS?  FIRST OF ALL, LITTLE KIDS DON’T SEE THEMSELVES IN DREAMS UNTIL THEY ARE 3 OR 4 YEARS OLD.  ALSO, THE DREAMS OF KIDS ARE SHORTER THAN THE DREAMS OF ADULTS.  CHILDREN ALSO HAVE MORE NIGHTMARES.  SCIENTISTS THINK THAT KIDS HAVE MORE NIGHTMARES AS A WAY OF HELPING THEM COPE WITH THEIR FEARS AND OTHER FEELINGS.  

D:  WHEN SOMEONE WAKES UP FROM A DREAM, IT IS THOUGHT THAT HE OR SHE WILL FORGET ABOUT HALF OF THE DREAM IN THE FIRST 5 MINUTES AFTER WAKING UP AND ABOUT 90% WITHIN 10 MINUTES AFTER WAKING UP.  FOR THIS REASON, A LOT OF PEOPLE KEEP A SLEEP JOURNAL NEXT TO THEIR BED SO THAT THEY CAN JOT DOWN ANY INTERESTING DETAILS ABOUT DREAMS BEFORE THEY FORGET THEM.  LOTS OF PEOPLE DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THEIR DREAMS, LIKE SHAKESPEARE, WHO USED VISIONS IN DREAMS TO HELP HIM COME UP WITH CHARACTERS OR STORY IDEAS FOR HIS PLAYS.  

O:  IF SOMEONE WAKES UP DURING REM SLEEP, IT IS MORE LIKELY THAT THEY WILL REMEMBER THEIR DREAM.  

D:  HAVE YOU EVER DREAMED ABOUT FALLING.  I KNOW I HAVE, A FEW TIMES BEFORE?  DREAMS OF FALLING USUALLY HAPPEN DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF SLEEP, AND FALLING DREAMS USUALLY RESULT IN MUSCLE SPASMS, CALLED MYOCLONIC JERKS.

O:  IN OUR DREAMS, WE CAN ONLY SEE THE FACES OF PEOPLE WE HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN IN OUR LIFETIME.  IT DOESN’T NECESSARILY NEED TO BE SOMEONE WE KNOW WELL, BUT IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE A HUMAN FACE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YOUR DREAMS.  

D:  EVERYBODY DREAMS, EVEN IF THEY DON’T REMEMBER THOSE DREAMS.

O:  MANY PEOPLE DREAM FOR ALMOST 2 HOURS A NIGHT AND CAN SEE UP TO 7 DREAMS IN ONE NIGHT.  HERE’S A COOL FACT:  IF YOU HAVE MULTIPLE DREAMS IN A NIGHT, THEY WILL USUALLY ORDER THEMSELVES FROM SHORTEST TO LONGEST.    

D:  THERE ARE DREAMS CALLED LUCID DREAMS.  THESE ARE DREAMS WHERE YOU ACTUALLY KNOW YOU ARE DREAMING AND YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR DREAM.  LUCID DREAMS ARE PRETTY RARE.  

O:  HERE IS A REALLY INTERESTING AND CRAZY FACT.  YOU CAN’T DREAM WHILE YOU ARE SNORING AT THE SAME TIME.  THAT PROBABLY MEANS THAT YOU DON’T DREAM THAT MUCH, DADDY.

D:  SURE, I SNORE A BIT, OR SO I’VE BEEN TOLD.  DID YOU KNOW THAT LOTS OF ANIMALS DREAM.  FOR EXAMPLE, ALL MAMMALS DREAM.  BIRDS DREAM TOO.  

O:  WE’VE SEEN OUR PET DOG, KHLOE, DREAM BEFORE.  SHE IS SO CUTE WHEN SHE’S DREAMING.  HER LEGS MOVE AS IF SHE’S RUNNING IN HER DREAMS.  I HOPE SHE IS CATCHING WHATEVER SHE’S AFTER IN HER DREAMS, OR GETTING A REALLY YUMMY BONE TO EAT.

D:  ALRIGHT OLIVIA, WE’VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT DREAMS, AND IT’S TIME TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  DO MOST PEOPLE DREAM IN COLOR OR IN BLACK AND WHITE.

O:  MOST PEOPLE DREAM IN COLOR TODAY, BUT THAT WASN’T THE CASE LONG AGO.  UNTIL THE 1960’S, MOST PEOPLE REPORTED DREAMING IN BLACK AND WHITE ONLY.  THEN, STARTING IN THE 1960’S, MORE PEOPLE GRADUALLY STARTED DREAMING IN COLOR.  TODAY, ONLY 4.4% OF THE DREAMS OF PEOPLE UNDER 25 YEARS OLD ARE IN BLACK AND WHITE.  THE OLDER YOU ARE, THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT YOU DREAM IN BLACK AND WHITE.  RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT THE CHANGE FROM BLACK AND WHITE TO COLOR TVS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGES IN THE WAY WE DREAM.  THAT IS INCREDIBLE.

D:  A FANTASTIC FACT TO END AN EPISODE FULL OF FACTS, WITH SOME THEORIES MIXED IN.  THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.    

O:  201 - DREAMS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB JANE, LIVVY, CHARLOTTE, BROOKLYN, SIMON, LILLY, ADELIA (AH-DAY-LEE-AH), AND COCO FOR THE ABSOLUTELY DREAMY TOPIC SUGGESTION.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE FOR THE WEEK, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE TO THANK.

O:  THANK YOU TO USERNAME SUJAY17 FOR THE 5 STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “LOVE IT!!  INFINITE THUMBS UP TO THIS PODCAST, FROM SUJAY OF INDIA”.  THAT’S AN AWESOME SHORT, BUT VERY SWEET, REVIEW.  THANKS SUJAY.  

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTER, GREYBEAR R.

D:  THANKS SO MUCH, GREYBEAR, FOR YOUR SUPPORT.  IT MEANS SO MUCH TO US.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT GRAVITY FOR LISTENERS IN SINGAPORE AND ISRAEL.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.