Shocking facts about DREAMS :

* The strangers in your dreams are actually people that you have seen in real life.

Human brain can't invent images. Chances are that you have laid eyes on many individuals,so the brain has a huge cast of characters to play with when you drift off to sleep.

* An average person has between 1460 and  2190 dreams a year.

Most people over the age of 10 have 4-6 dreams every night. You forget 95 % - 99 % of all the dreams you have.

* You can teach yourself to control your dreams.

The method is called 'lucid dreaming' which means that you are aware of the fact that you are dreaming. In that way one can control the motion of his dream. In most cases,people turn nightmares into good dreams.

* The origin of the phrase 'pipe dream' was referring to ideas thought up while smoking opium.

A pipe dream is something typically regarded as an unrealistic hope or fantasy. The phrase can be traced back to the dreams experienced by opium smokers,which were very prevalent in the 18th and 19th centuries by the highly literate.

* When you dream,your body is paralyzed.

In the first 90 minutes of sleep,you go through deepening stages ranging from light sleep to deep sleep. Then you enter a phase called REM sleep (REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement). During REM sleep,the rest of your body becomes paralyzed. The release of certain neurotransmitters are shut down and your large muscles do not move.

* Women dream about sex as often as men do.

Studies show that women have more nightmares than men.

* A device called as REM dreamer lets you control your dreams.

* Falling backwards in a nightmare can change it to a more pleasant dream.

But falling backwards in a nightmare into a better dream can ensure that you won't wake up soon. Closing your eyes is also recommended while falling backwards in a dream as it helps to increase concentration.

* 12 % of the people dream in black and white.

According to a study in 2008,people under the age of 25 rarely dream in black and white while those over 55 claimed to dream in monochrome about a quarter of the time.