Have You Ever Woke Up Laughing?

humor (Photo credit: bertknot)

        In the previous post we looked at dreams that make us tired.  Those are typically complex dreams involving work and stressful situations.  We actually may be dreaming these sorts of dreams because we are already tired and stressed and these sorts of dreams are an ineffective way our mind deals with these circumstances.  We go into sleep tired and emerge from sleep still feeling unrested due to our dream stress and activity.

        But what about dreams that relax us by making us feel more lighthearted and amused.  There may be different reasons a dream might relax us.  In this post we'll look at funny or nonsensically amusing dreams.  These dreams might include silly imagery, absurd situations, or actual "jokes".  If we awaken from a dream of this nature we might feel happy, we might be smiling, or we can even awaken in laughter.

      In a recent example from my sleeping life, I was dreaming of activities with my family at a location I cannot remember--perhaps my mother's house. Both of my granddaughters, Marley and Lillee are present. I one point I realize that Marley, age 4, has been put to bed. My youngest granddaughter, Lillee, age 2, is still awake and on my daughter's lap. Lillee begins saying a number of phrases that include the word "no". However, instead of saying "no" she makes some sort of sound and gesture that I find tremendously funny. I begin laughing and awaken while laughing.

         After I've awakened having had this dream, I feel very upbeat and happy.  I try to relate the dream to my wife but I cannot describe what it was that I found so funny about my granddaughter.  I am unable to recreate the sounds or gestures my granddaughter had been making in the dream.  It all seems cute perhaps, but no longer funny in waking life.

         The humor in this particular dream seemed to be related to a verbal joke.  In other funny dreams the "joke" is what has appeared to have been an actual spoken joke that seemed funny in the dream.  Rarely do these dream jokes seem funny after I wake up and attempt to relate them to someone else.  Perhaps the sense of humor in dreams is far different than that of waking life or maybe it's not even humor at all, but some sort of symbolic subconscious representation of humor.

          In other funny dreams I may see some sort of ridiculous image or find myself in some sort of ludicrous circumstance and wake up laughing about what I've experienced.   Usually I either don't remember what it was that made me laugh or if I seem to remember, I cannot express the dream experience in any words that make sense.

           My wife and others have sometimes told me that I was laughing in my sleep.  In those circumstances I rarely remember since typically remembered dreams are only those dreams from which we awaken.  Likewise, on a few occasions I have heard my wife or my children laughing in their sleep.  They too have been unable to relate the reason for the laughter and were unaware that they had done so.

          Humorous dreams probably alleviate mental and emotional stress that we may be experiencing in our lives.   A silly dream is probably a nice way to wake up from sleep and face the new day.

         That wacky subconscious dream mind sure has a peculiar sense of humor.

          Have you ever woke up laughing?   Does dream humor that you've experienced make sense?   Where do you think dream humor comes from and why do you think it happens?


     

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