Today I want to tell you something about me, something that I've never heard anyone else mention. Hopefully, someone out there has the same experience, and we can chat about it.
Subconscious problem solving
If I go to bed with a problem on my mind, most often a programming issue, I could solve it between the time I go to bed and the time I wake up. The period of sleep in which I solve it is inconsistent. I could solve it while falling asleep, or during full on R.E.M, but most often that not it happens during the waking up part of the sleep. I sort of hazily recall the problem, and dream a solution to it.
Sometimes, usually with the R.E.M solutions, they are downright ridiculous. They seems perfect while I'm dreaming, but later when I recall them they make no sense at all. The morning ones are most often the best. I wake up, I remember it, and then an hour later I recall it and apply it.
I do wonder how many of those solutions I've came up with and never recalled.
Creative dreaming
Another interesting thing about my dreams is that I sometimes dream stories. Stories in which I am no part of. The dreams manifest similarly to me watching a movie, only I have a much more direct relationship with what is going on, and I know things about the scene that could not be known from simply watching. I've recently had a bout of such dreams, and 