Raining Cats And Dogs

I was wondering about this idiom.. particularly about its ORIGIN..

Was it that it actually rained cats and dogs... or it was just another one from epics...????

And.. what I got was.. There's no specific origin of this idiom...

Some would say that in old England, they had hay roofs on their houses and the cats and dogs would sleep on the roof. When it rained, the roofs got slippery and the cats and dogs would slide off of the roofs. There for it was "Raining Cats and Dogs".

Another theory, "Rain Cats and Dogs" stems from the Norse Mythology. Cats were believed to represent the wind and dogs represented rain. Different animals represented different weather and natural phenomenon.

One supposed origin is that the phrase derives from mythology. Dogs and wolves were attendants to Odin, the god of storms, and sailors associated them with rain. Witches, who often took the form of their familiars - cats, are supposed to have ridden the wind. Well, some evidence would be nice. There doesn't appear to be any to support this notion.

One theory is that witches are associated with cats and storms, so perhaps when there was a really bad storm it was blamed on a witch for instance and therefore there would be cats nearby - this doesn't really explain the dogs bit though. Another theory is to do with the noise that dogs and cats make when fighting and the link between this and a storm, but no-one knows for sure!

At the end I am just sure that it definitely means "to rain heavily"..

Whatever its origin is...!!!! :P

Prophetic Dream

Remember.. I told you that some people can foretell future by their dreams...??

Prophetic dreams, also referred to as precognitive or psychic dreams, are dreams that seemingly foretell the future.  One rational theory to explain this phenomenon is that your dreaming mind is able to piece together bits of information and observation that you may normally overlook or that you do not seriously consider. In other words, your unconscious mind knows what is coming before you consciously piece together the same information.

In a prophetic dream, you see the future through your dream. It is difficult to determine that a dream is prophetic because we can only confirm such a dream after it has taken place. Even then, we only hear of the success stories. There are so many other dreams that do not come true. Thus, prophetic dream may just be mere coincidences.

In the science world, it is believed that psychic powers do not exist. Scientists rationalize that dreams that seemingly come true may actually be a suggestion or guide for you to follow, thus making it seem as if the dream is coming true. You are willing it to be true. Another argument is that you may have a tendency to self-edit your dream to match the outcome. Because dreams are so easily forgotten, your memory of the dream may not be accurate. Still another theory is that your dreaming mind is able to piece together bits of information faster that your conscious mind. Your mind is able to see what will happen based on information that it has already collected.

Having a prophetic dreams suggests that you are experiencing anxiety and that you are expressing a desire for certainty in the future. You are looking to your dream to help you make an important decision or to reassure you that you are on the right path.

Dream Facts

1. One-third of your lives is spent sleeping.

 2. In an average  lifetime, you would have spent a total of about six years of it dreaming. That is more than 2,100 days spent in a different realm!

 

3. Dreams have been here as long as mankind.  Back in the Roman Era, striking and significant dreams were submitted to the Senate for analysis and interpretation.

 

4. Everybody dreams. EVERYBODY! Simply because you do not remember your dream does not mean that you do not dream. In fact, you have several dreams during a normal night of sleep.

 

5. Dreams are indispensable.  A lack of dream activity can mean protein deficiency or a personality disorder.

6. On average, you can dream anywhere from one or two hours every night. Moreover, you can have four to seven dreams in one night.

 

7. Blind people do dream.  Whether visual images appear in their dream depends on  whether they were blind at birth or became blind later in life. But vision is not the only sense that constitutes a dream. Sounds, tactility, and smell become hypersensitive for the blind and their dreams are based on these senses. 

8. Five minutes after the end of the dream, half the content is forgotten. After ten minutes, 90% is lost.

9. The word dream stems from the Middle English word, dreme which means "joy" and "music".

10. Men tend to dream more about other men, while women dream equally about men and women.

11. Studies have shown that your brain waves are more active when you are dreaming than when we are awake.

 

12. Dreamers who are awakened right after REM sleep, are able to recall their dreams more vividly than those who slept through the night until morning.

13. Physiologically speaking, researchers found that during dreaming REM sleep, males experience erections and females experience increased vaginal blood flow - no matter what the content of the dream. In fact, "wet dreams" may not necessarily coincide with overtly sexual dream content. 

14. People who are giving up smoking have longer and more intense dreams.

15. Toddlers do not dream about themselves. They do not appear in their own dreams until the age of 3 or 4.

16. If you are snoring, then you cannot be dreaming.

17. Nightmares are common in children, typically beginning at around age 3 and occurring up to age 7-8.

18. In a poll, 67% of Americans  have experienced Deja Vu in their dreams, occurring more often in females than males. 

 

19. Around 3% of adults suffer from sleep apnea. This treatable condition leads to unexplained tiredness and inefficiency.

 

20. Research has shown that the house is the most common setting for dreams. 

 

21. It is very normal for males to experience an erection during the REM stage of sleep, even when they are not dreaming anything of a sexual nature.

 

  22. The original meaning of the word "nightmare"  was a female spirit who besets people at night while they sleep.

Dreams

We all dream...!!

To some, Dreams are the way they take temporary refuge from daily life.. Some can foretell future... ( bit psycho... right??? )
Some can just...... ummm...well that i'll tell in my next posts... :P

Well.. here's some science and facts about dreamzzzzz...!! 

The Sleep Cycle

One sleep cycle comprises of four stages and lasts for about 90-120  minutes. However there are some books that list five stages in the sleep cycle. These books consider the first five to ten minutes when you are falling asleep as a stage in the sleep cycle. We think this is more of a transitional phase and not really part of the cycle. While the other stages of sleep repeat themselves throughout the night, this phase of sleep does not. For this reason, it has been excluded as part of the cycle.

Dreams can occur in any of the four stages of sleep, but the most vivid and memorable dreams occur in the last stage of sleep (also commonly referred to as REM sleep). The sleep cycle repeats itself about an average of four to five times per night, but may repeat as many as seven times. Thus, you can see how a person has several different dreams in one night. However, most people only remember dreams that occur closer toward the morning when they are about  to wake up. But just because you can't remember those dreams do not mean that they never happened. Some people believe that they simply do not dream, when in reality, they just don't remember their dreams.

The Stages Of Sleep

The stages in the sleep cycle are organized by the changes in specific brain activity.

Stage 1: You are entering into light sleep. This stage is characterized by Non-rapid eye movements (NREM), muscle relaxation, lowered body temperature and slowed heart rate. The body is preparing to enter into deep sleep.

Stage 2: Also characterized by NREM, this stage is characterized by a further drop in body temperature and relaxation of the muscles. The body's immune system goes to work on repairing the day's damage. The endocrine glands secrete growth hormones, while blood is sent to the muscles to be reconditioned. In this stage, you are completely asleep.

Stage 3: Still in the NREM stage, this is an even deeper sleep. Your metabolic levels are extremely slow.

Stage 4: In this stage of sleep, your eyes move back and forth erratically as if watching something from underneath your eyelids. Referred to as REM sleep or delta sleep, this stage occurs at about 90-100 minutes after the onset of sleep. Your blood pressure rises, heart rate speeds up, respiration becomes erratic and brain activity increases. Your involuntary muscles also become paralyzed or immobilized. This stage is the most restorative part of sleep. Your mind is being revitalized and emotions is being fine tuned. The majority of your dreaming occurs in this stage. If you are awakened during this stage of sleep, you are more likely to remember your dreams.

These stages repeat themselves throughout the night as you sleep. As the cycle repeats, you will spend less time in stages 1 to 3 and more time dreaming in stage 4. In other words, it will be quicker and quicker for you to get to stage 4 each time the cycle repeats.

The Importance Of Dreaming

Do you dream in order to sleep or do you sleep in order to dream? Although that question remains debatable,  researchers agree that there is a purpose and importance to dreaming.

Research have showed that people who are deprived from entering the dream phase of sleep or the REM stage, exhibit symptoms of irritability and anxiety. In one dream study, volunteers are woken up right before they enter into the

dream  state. Then they are allowed to fall back to sleep. Again, right before they enter REM sleep, they are awaken.  This continues on through the night. The volunteers sleep the same amount of time as they normally do. The next day, these volunteers go about their day and observed to be disoriented, depressed, crabby, and quick tempered. There is a general impairment in their daily functioning.  Some eat more than usual.  As this study continues on through several nights, subjects become more and more agitated.  It is found that deprivation of REM sleep causes over-sensitivity, lack of concentration and memory loss. 

This study shows the importance of dreaming and its role in your well-being and health. Some researchers believe that dreams help you to tackle stress. Dreaming is a necessity and helps to recharge the mind and revitalize the body. 

 Why should you remember your dreams?

1. Your dreaming mind has access to vital information that is not readily available to you when you are awake. Your dreams may reveal your secret desires and subconscious feelings.

2. In remembering your dreams, you will gain increased knowledge, self-awareness and self-healing.  Dreams are an extension of how you perceive yourself. They can be a source of inspiration, wisdom, joy and overall improved psychological health.

3. Learning to recall your dreams may help you become a more assertive person. By remembering your dreams, you are expressing and confronting your feelings.   

4. Dreams can help guide you through difficult decisions, relationship issues, health concerns, career questions or any life struggle you may be experiencing.

5. Remembering your dreams can help you come to terms with stressful aspects of your lives.