Thursday, February 7, 2013

Have You Ever Woke Up Laughing?

humor
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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16 comments:

  1. I do laugh in my sleep. Sometimes I'll hear myself, sometimes not. Never know though what's so funny.

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  2. Sometimes Lee I think I've forgotten how to laugh with the problems within the family. Dreams I do get are not so good.
    I have in the past woken up laughing or talking quite funny really.

    Yvonne.

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  3. I've had weird dreams that amuse me when I try to explain them to someone but I don't recall waking up laughing. I know I've woken myself up a few times in my life either yelling or snoring though.

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  4. There have been times when I actually woke myself up laughing. Unfortunately, I often wake up crying also. sometimes I have no idea why.

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  5. Em -- Darn elusive dream humor.

    Yvonne -- Hope you will again have some funny and uplifting dreams soon.

    JoJo -- I've also had the yelling situations which can scare those who hear them, but it hasn't happened often. Then there are situations where I will yell in my dream and think it has been audible to the waking world, but no one notices.

    Faraway -- I have also had a few occasions where I woke up crying or very sad. It usually has something to do with someone dying. Thank goodness this doesn't happen often.

    Susan -- I don't know what triggers them, but they do make the day start out happier.

    Lee

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  6. I don't recall laughing in my sleep; mostly, I have the tiring, stress dreams. (Or at least, those are the ones I remember.) But, according to my Dad, my Mom often laughs in her sleep. She's got this gorgeous smile and laugh that often sends my sister and me into giggles, so the idea of Mom doing this in her sleep strikes me as being hilariously funny. :-)

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  7. I love those kind of dreams! Much nicer than the heart-pounding, prepare-for-flight kind.

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  8. Mina -- Since dreams are often a reflection of our day, it might make sense that if one were smiling and essentially happy during the course of a day, that night's dreams would reflect happiness.

    Cheryl -- Yes, a good laugh is a nice way to start the day. Thank you for checking out this blog.

    Lee

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  9. I can't recall ever having a dream where I woke up laughing, but it sounds marvelous! :)

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  10. Hey Lee! I wake up laughing every morning....haha, not really, but I have. I've also woke up on the phone, and staring out the kitchen window. It was weird.

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  11. Paula -- I'd rather wake up laughing than scared or stressed.

    Eve--I've fallen asleep while on the phone, but waking up that way? Yeah, that's pretty weird.

    Lee

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  12. I'm sure at some point in time I have actually woke up laughing. Dreaming is like watching a movie on another plane while the body is at rest. In the dream world time isn't a factor; the only thing that cuts the movie off is waking up. In the waking stage I feel myself coming back from somewhere; very slowly or sometimes fast but mostly in a slow state of wakening; whether the place where dreams are had is the subconscious, I'm not sure since it seems like I'm coming back from somewhere. Sometimes when I meditate, I try to determine in a waken state if where my spirit goes in the same place as dream land. It is all a mystery but one I'm sure and be understood with more wisdom!

    Certainly is something to think about, Arlee! Thanks for sharing and providing food for thought!

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  13. I woke up laughing out loud really hard last night, cannot remember the dream. When I realized I was awake I recognized that I was freezing cold and started violently shaking and crying. Very scary, couldn't get my husband upstairs to help me. I live in my hospital bed at home, not totally unable to walk - but being that cold scared me, and I wonder if I woke myself laughing to get myself some help. I guess I will never know.

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  14. Suzanne --Very unique case. I suppose the laughter could have been caused by a physical manifestation that was misinterpreted by the dream mind. Or maybe the laughter was more akin to like a hysterical laughter that will sometimes be experienced as an inappropriate response to some stimulus. Have you found yourself laughing in other similar circumstances? Like you say, you'll probably never know what happened, but thank you for sharing this.

    Lee

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  15. I woke up laughing hard...even when I was awake, I could still remember the dream and it was still funny...well until I tried to make sense of it. I started forgetting bits and pieces of it and the humour got lost too.

    Was so sad coz I hadn't laughed so hard in a while and I so wanted to know what it was about.

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