梦之所以神秘，是因为我们对梦的了解太少，导致了对梦的很多误解。本文盘点了最常见的五大误区，逐一揭示科学真相。
1. MISCONCEPTION: EATING CHEESE BEFORE BED CAN GIVE YOU NIGHTMARES.
误解一：睡觉前吃奶酪会做噩梦
在查尔斯狄更斯的《圣诞颂歌》中，埃比尼泽斯克罗吉认为鬼魅般的相遇就像是他睡前吃的奶酪碎屑。这听起来有点奇怪，但奶酪在历史上因其召唤噩梦的能力而声名狼藉。不过，一点干酪不太可能是你夜间恐惧的根源。
查尔斯狄更斯的《圣诞颂歌》中有这样一集：埃比尼泽斯克鲁奇(ebenezer Scrooge)并不认为这是他遇见鬼魂后睡前吃的奶酪屑。这听起来有点奇怪，但奶酪在历史上一直有造成噩梦的坏名声。不过，吃一点切达奶酪不太可能让你做噩梦。
2005年，英国奶酪委员会资助了一项研究，以揭穿奶酪导致噩梦的神话。作为实验的一部分，200名参与者在睡前半小时吃了20克奶酪。67%的吃奶酪的人报告说记得他们的梦，但是没有人记录下噩梦。然而，他们所做的梦却非常可怕。一名参与者详细描述了梦见一只素食鳄鱼为不能吃孩子而苦恼，而另一名参与者梦见士兵用小猫而不是枪来战斗。
2005年，英国奶酪委员会资助了一项研究，旨在驳斥吃奶酪会导致噩梦的误解。该研究进行了一项实验，200名参与者在睡前半小时吃20克奶酪。这些吃奶酪的人有67%报告说记得他们的梦，但没有人声称做噩梦。但他们的梦想相当夸张。一名参与者梦见一只素食鳄鱼因为不能吃自己的孩子而心烦意乱，另一名参与者梦见士兵用小猫而不是枪来战斗。
2. MISCONCEPTION: WE ONLY DREAM DURING REM SLEEP.
误解二：我们只在快速眼动睡眠期间做梦
关于梦，我们还有很多不知道的，但是很长一段时间，我们确信梦只发生在快速眼动睡眠期间。现在，已经证明我们实际上在睡眠的不同阶段做梦。我们只是更容易记住我们在快速眼动睡眠期间所做的梦。这些快速眼动睡眠的梦往往更生动、更令人兴奋，也更怪异。另一方面，非快速眼动睡眠的梦更简单，也更少情绪化。
关于梦，我们还有很多不知道的，但是很长一段时间，人们坚信只有在快速眼动睡眠时才会做梦。现在发现，我们都在睡眠的不同阶段做梦。在快速眼动睡眠期间，我们更容易记住我们的梦。这一时期的梦通常更生动、更刺激、更离奇。没有REM的睡眠期间的梦更简单，也更平淡。
3. MISCONCEPTION: DREAMS ARE ENTIRELY MEANINGLESS.
p>误解三：梦是毫无意义的
While it may be difficult to draw conclusions from any one particular dream, research suggests that dreams are more than just a random montage of scenes that flit through our brains at night. Recurring patterns in dreams often accurately reflect concerns people have about their daily lives. And those dreams you had about being unprepared for a test or showing up to class in your underwear aren’t limited to your high school days. A person is likely to have those dreams long after they’ve graduated, as they often crop up during times of stress. So, if you’re feeling extra anxious in the days leading up to a job interview, don’t be surprised if your subconscious revives that old math test nightmare.
尽管根据某个特别的梦得出结论或许很难，但是研究表明，梦不只是我们的大脑在夜里闪过的随机画面组合。反复做的梦通常准确地反映出人们在日常生活中的忧虑。并不是只有在高中时代才会做那种来不及备考或穿着内衣出现在课堂上的梦。一个人可能在毕业很久之后还会做这种梦，他们通常在压力大的时候梦见这些。因此，如果你在求职面试前夕感觉特别焦虑，那么就不要奇怪你的潜意识唤醒了那个数学考试的可怕旧梦。
4. MISCONCEPTION: REMEMBERING YOUR DREAMS IS AN INDICATOR OF GOOD SLEEP.
误解四：记得梦说明你睡了个好觉
Some people say that remembering your dreams in the morning is an indication of a good night's sleep, but that's not true. In fact, people with poor sleep are more likely to remember their dreams. According to a 2014 report in Cerebral Cortex, study participants who remembered their dreams had twice as much "wakefulness," which could be taken to mean they woke up more often. People who remember their dreams also have higher activity in the temporoparietal junction, a part of the brain that processes information and emotions. They also reacted more strongly to sounds, which could help explain their interrupted sleep patterns. Basically, people who are sleep-deprived tend to have greater sleep intensity during the precious few hours they manage to sleep, which leads to more vivid dreams.
有些人说，早上醒来记得梦说明你睡了个好觉，但这种说法是错的。事实上，睡眠差的人更可能记得自己的梦。2014年发表在期刊《大脑皮层》上一篇研究报告称，记得自己梦的研究参与者“失眠程度”是其他人的两倍，这意味着他们更频繁地醒来。记得自己梦的人大脑中处理信息和情感的颞顶交界处的活动水平更高。他们对声音的反应也更强烈，这有助于解释为什么他们的睡眠频频被打断。基本上，失眠者在宝贵的几小时睡眠时间内睡眠强度更大，从而导致他们的梦更生动。
5. MISCONCEPTION: NOT EVERYONE DREAMS.
误解五：不是每个人都做梦
A 2015 French study published in the Journal of Sleep Researchsought to find whether or not everyone dreams. The researchers studied individuals with REM sleep behavior disorder, which causes people to act out their dreams while they’re sleeping. Fewer than 4 percent of the study’s participants claimed they never dreamed. But the researcher’s analysis says otherwise. They observed the participants while they slept, and found that even those who denied dreaming still moved in a way that suggested they were, in fact, dreaming. It’s more likely people just don’t remember their dreams. Though adults average four to six dreams per night, most people forget between 95 to 99 percent of them.
2015年发表在《睡眠研究杂志》上的一项法国研究想弄清楚是否每个人都做梦。研究人员对快速眼部活动睡眠行为紊乱者进行了研究，这些人在睡眠期间会一边做梦一边乱动。不到4%的研究参与者自称从不做梦。但是研究人员的分析却发现不是如此。他们在参与者睡觉时对他们进行了观察，结果发现即使是那些否认做梦的人仍然会做出一些动作，表明他们事实上在做梦。所以更可能的情况是，人们只是不记得自己的梦。尽管成年人每夜平均睡4到6小时，但多数人会忘记95%到99%的梦。
英文来源：Mental Floss
翻译&编辑：丹妮
来源：中国日报网
