REM Sleep - In 1953, REM (Rapid Eye Movements) were observed, and it was finally proven that everyone dreams, even if they don't remember it. During periods of REM sleep, dreamer's eyes move back and forth, as if watching a movie. That is not surprising, since dreams are mostly a visual experience. It is interesting to note that in blind persons, even those who were not blind from birth, dreams are made up of other sensory experiences. During an average night, a person's mind cycles through a 90-minute pattern of REM and non-REM sleep five or six times. Toward morning, the amount of REM sleep increases.

Paralysis and Light Sleep - During certain phases of sleep, muscular reflexes in the limbs disappear. Occasionally, this unconscious knowledge makes itself known in a dream where the dreamer is paralyzed. Often the dreamer awakens to find they, indeed, are unable to move. This is, of course, only temporary. Reflexes return almost immediately.

The Curb Jerk - A myoclonic jerk is a sudden leg contraction that occurs during light sleep. This muscle spasm is exactly what happens when we step off a curb. We wake up suddenly with the feeling we've done just that - tripped off a curb and almost fallen.

The Falling Syndrome - The terms "falling asleep" and "dropping off to sleep" have their roots in very real sensations. When first going to sleep, we sometimes we feel as though we are falling through space (not to be confused with flying, which is associated with excitement). This is due to the conscious mind sensing an altered state of awareness.

False Awakenings - This is dreaming that you are awake. This is very common. In the morning, the false awakening often seems quite real, and you can not tell for certain whether you actually woke up during the night or not.

Sleep Walking and Talking - Sleepwalking is also known as somnambulism.  It occurs when the action in a dream is actually carried out. This occurs much more often in children, only because they are less self-conscious and more nimble. Adults usually sleepwalk only when they are worried about something or are ill. Sleep-talking is when the conversation in a dream is carried out aloud. It is possible for a person to talk with a sleep-talking person, but the responses received may not make sense.

Recurrent Dreams and Serial Dreams - are similar, but not quite the same. A recurring dream is having the same dream continually, while a serial dream is a series of different dreams that are based upon a common story line or possibly a continuation.

Telepathy and Teleportation - Telepathic dreams are those in which "news" (happy or sad) is transported to you in a dream before you are informed through more conventional means. Teleportation is when the dreamer is actually seen (either in a dream or as a ghostly vision) by the person they are dreaming of.

Flying Dreams - Seventy percent of persons have experienced this, but experts are at a loss to explain the mechanism supporting it. Some say this reflects ancestral memory when, according to Darwin, our ancestors were birds. Physics maintain that dreams of flying are astral-projection, a state in which our spirits leave our bodies and fly free.

Prophetic Dreams and Premonitions - The difference between a prophecy and premonition is that a prophecy is made about something the prophet had some degree of knowledge about, no matter how little or far removed. In a premonition, the person could not have had any knowledge whatsoever about the subject of the premonition. Premonitions are only called premonitions when they have actually come true.