Are Advertisements Secretly Hijacking Your Dreams? An Expert Reveals the Shocking Truth!
Think about it—after dodging ads on our phones, TVs, and laptops all day, now some people claim they’re getting pelted with commercials in their dreams too. Yep, you heard me right. Just when you thought the idea of fridge ads was over the top, folks are actually reporting ads invading their shut-eye, popping up like uninvited YouTube commercials in the middle of REM snoozing. Is this the dawn of dream advertising, or just our advertising-overloaded minds playing tricks? Turns out, a whopping 61 percent of Americans say they’ve dreamed ads in the past year—those catchy jingles aren’t just haunting your waking hours anymore. But before you start blaming sinister marketing masterminds for hijacking your subconscious, there’s a scientific twist explaining why these nocturnal product pitches happen—and spoiler alert—it’s more about your brain’s memory filing system than some secret ad campaign. If your dreams have been stuck on replay with product placements, here’s why, and more importantly, how to hit the mental “skip ad” button before bedtime. LEARN MORE.
Every day we’re bombarded with adverts on our phones, TVs, laptops and now some folks are claiming that even sleep doesn’t offer them respite from seeing ads.
Yep, if you thought adverts on fridges was pushing it a bit, then you might be surprised to learn that there’s a growing number of people who say they are starting to ‘receive’ ads even while getting some shut eye.
In a post on the Dreams subreddit, one person pondered: ‘Has dream advertising started?’ before revealing that ‘for the last year or so, every dream [they have had] has revolved over some kind of product’.
And they’re not alone, a fellow Reddit user said they had experienced a ‘very specific’ advert in their dream which felt ‘almost like product placement’.
They continued: “Not the first time this has happened. I’ve had ads pop up right in the middle of a dream just like YouTube ads. They’ve infiltrated the dream world. Honestly not surprised, it was gonna happen at some point.”
A massive 61 percent of Americans say they’ve dreamed ads in the last year (Getty stock image)
Meanwhile, over Facebook, another person wrote: “My dreams have commercials in them, I’ve noticed recently that between different dreams I will have a dream that’s an advertisement for things.
“Maybe it’s because I sleep with the TV on but it seems like this just started happening the past three or four days.”
Data from The Media Image released this year found that a whopping six in 10 Americans (61 percent) say they’ve had dreams that include ad-like content and for almost two out of five of them (38 percent) they say it happens frequently, between once a month and every day.
In fact, two in five (41 percent) admitted that they think ads are actively infiltrating their dreams.
So, what does it all mean? Are advertising execs finally able to infiltrate our minds like an episode of Black Mirror?
Well, the short answer – you’ll be pleased to learn – is no.
Dr Daniel Atkinson, Clinical Lead at Treated, told LADbible there were a few reasons why people are now more likely to start reproducing adverts in their dreams.
He shared: “One reason is exposure. Previously, adverts were something we consumed comparatively infrequently: when watching television, reading magazines or newspapers or travelling past a billboard. Now, we’re seeing adverts much more often as we engage with social media and use online tools for day-to-day activities, at pretty much any time of day.
“Another reason is novelty. Again, advertising has evolved to a point where elaborate, fantastical imagery is more common because it’s easier to pull off from a production standpoint.”
Dr Daniel Atkinson has explained why people might be seeing ads in their dreams (YouTube/Treated)
He went on to explain the process going on inside our heads that can make replaying an advert later on more likely.
“The brain processes and catalogues images and and information during the day and stores this in the thalamus, and often more deeply processes data that’s catchy or repetitive in the cerebral cortex,” he said.
“The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus effectively decide whether or not to ‘keep’ something for later, and it’s at this point that associations with that memory begin to be matched to emotions and motivations (‘I want to buy one of those’). When you enter REM sleep at night, the brain is working to further process this information, and this is why images might infiltrate dreams.
“Animated content, or campaigns utilising bright colours with a higher level of contrast, have a higher visual salience and are usually easier to recall, and these might be prioritised by the brain because they’re more striking than other images we’ve seen throughout the day.”
If you’re one of those who does see dream adverts and would rather not, then Dr Daniel recommends limiting your screen time or giving yourself a curfew of at least an hour before bed to stop using your devices.
“It might also help to do a mindful or ‘meditative’ activity before bed, (such as drawing, crafting or embroidery) to help give your brain the space and time it needs to filter out images and info you’ve taken in throughout the day,” he said.
“The task at hand may effectively replace advert content in your working memory – so you aren’t as likely to dream about it.”
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