Specific purpose: To inform my audience about the 3 types of dreams they might have.
Thesis Statement:

Introduction I. I was alone in a dark alley, running for my life, panting and sweating, my heart pounding. A. Was I writing an essay? No. B. It was what I had dreamt of when I as asleep one night. II. I have always been curious about the dreams I had a night, why I would wake up crying at times, or maybe even screaming. III. Throughout the period of research, I have found out that the dreams you have can actually relate to the events you participated in during the day. IV. Therefore, I would like to share 3 types of dreams you are most likely to have during the course of your sleep.

Body I. The first type of dream and most common type of dream you might have is a falling dream. A. A falling dream is where one has the feeling of falling thru the air feeling frightened. 1. A theory by Professor O’Conner from the University of Glasgow suggests that a falling dream may occur when one has lost control over something. 2. These situations could be linked to work, school home or even in a relationship. 3. As falling dreams are usually vivid, you can recall the contents of the dreams quite easily. 4. The more you can remember, the better it is to figure out what the dream means, and try to correct the problem you may be facing. B. So when and how does a falling dream occur? 1. It typically occurs during the first stage of sleep, during rem (rapid eye movement). 2. It is accompanied by muscle spasms of the arms, legs and the whole body, which is known as myoclonic jerks. 3. It is thought that this jerking action is part of an arousal mechanism to wake you up and to be alert of possible threats in the environment.

(Transition: Have you ever woke up feeling like you have been living the dream? Well, the next type of dream is probably what you experienced.)

II. The second type of dream is known as a lucid dream. A. A lucid dream is when you are dreaming while you know that you are dreaming. 1. Lucid dreaming gives you the ability to control your own dreams and steer them towards the direction you want. 2. In lucid state, according to a research scientist, Stephen LaBerge, one is more willing to confront threats and as a result, become more self-confident. 3. This is because brain activity during dream state is the same as in real life, hence conditioning your neuronal patterns.

B. So how can you realize that you are lucid dreaming? 1. Most people will be triggered noticing something that is impossible or unlikely occurrence in the dream. 2. An example would be flying or meeting the deceased. 3. However a minority will lucid dream without noticing anything in particular.

(Transition: A serial killer chasing after you or maybe drowning in a vast ocean and there is no one to save you or maybe even stuck in a plane that is crashing into a dense jungle, can you guess what is the third type of dream?)

III. If you guessed nightmare, you guessed it correctly. A. A nightmare is a vividly realistic, disturbing dream that often wakes you up from a deep sleep, setting your heart pounding with fear. 1. A nightmare can be trigged by psychological reasons, most common being anxiety and depression. 2. It occurs during rem sleep, rem sleep become progressively longer as the night progresses. 3. Therefore, most nightmares occur during the early morning B. How do you know if you are having a nightmare? 1. You wouldn’t realize you are having a nightmare unless someone wakes you up. 2. A family member or room mate can identify that you are having a night mare if you show the signs of having a nightmare 3. For example, twitching, sweating, yelling, or maybe even physically lashing out.

Conclusion I. Falling dreams, luid dreams, nightmares are just all in your head, this just shows how your brain can be so creative even when you are asleep. II. In closing, here is a quote by annonymous “Man is a genius when he is dreaming.” III. Sweet dreams everyone and thank you.