Dream FAQ Dictionary: Do sensory stimuli affect dreams?
Do sensory stimuli affect dreams? Sounds, smells, tactile sensations and bodily functions can work their way into dreams and become part of the dream drama. For example, if you lose your bedcovers during the night, you may dream of being in a snow-covered place and feeling cold. A car alarm going off down the street may become a fire engine in a dream. Falling out of bed can appear in a dream in which you are falling from a great height. Sigmund Freud found that by eating anchovies or highly salted foods prior to sleep, he caused himself to dream that he was drinking water. Sensory stimuli should be taken into account, but the dream should not be dismissed as having no other meaning.
