How long do dreams last?
Some dreams can feel like they lasted for a long period of time. This is because the element of time is among the most distorted elements during the dreaming state. An entire dream that covers several incidents and scenes may not actually last an hour in real time. There has been no categorically declared average time by which a dream may last, but it has more or less been considered to equate directly to the period of time that a Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase lasts. Based on clinical studies, a single REM phase may last anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes. In the same vein, dreams are also estimated to last anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes.
This time estimate, of course, does not include the total time consumed by progressive dreams or dreams that are continued from one sleep period or one REM phase to the next.
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