Hey folks, Laci Green here for DNews.

大家好，我是 DNews 的 Laci Green。

Here's something I had never really thought about: How do the blind experience their dreams?

有件事我從沒認真想過，那就是盲人的夢境是怎麼樣的？

It's a perspective that‘s completely removed from my own, having been able to see my whole life.

我本身完全沒有這種經驗，畢竟我一直以來都看得見。

Well, minus when I take my glasses off and knock into things, but that's a slightly different story.

好吧，我拿下眼鏡然後撞到東西的時候除外，但那不太一樣。

A new study published in the journal Sleep Medicine took a little look-see at how the blind dream.

睡眠醫學期刊發表的一項新研究，他們針對盲人如何作夢做了一點小調查。

For sighted people, dreaming is primarily a visual activity.

對看得見的人來說，作夢主要屬於視覺活動。

You remember images.

你記得的是影像。

But if you don't have the sense of sight, other sensory information-- the information you rely on the most -- takes the lead.

但是，如果你沒有視覺，其他感官訊息，也就是你依賴最多的感官訊息，會主導夢境。

The researchers looked at groups of people who were blind from birth or congenitally blind, those who became blind later in life, and those who can see.

研究員調查了一群天生失明的人，或者因先天疾病失明的人、後天失明的人，以及看得見的人。

Immediately after a dream, they were asked about their sensory experiences: What did you see? Did you taste anything?

一作完夢，研究員就會詢問這些人的感官經驗：你看見了什麼？你有嚐到任何味道嗎？

As well as how they felt emotionally in the dream, and if there were any themes, like falling, or being able to fly, for instance.

還有他們在夢境裡的情緒，以及夢境是否有主題，像是墜落或是能夠飛翔。

Amongst the blind participants, most of the content in their dreams was made up of things they "heard".

在盲人受試者中，夢境內容大部份是由他們「聽見」的事物組成的。

86% of them experienced sounds and voices, as opposed to 64% of the seeing group.

其中有 86% 的盲人感受到聲響和人聲，而非盲人組則有 64%。

The scientists basically said that the longer the person was able to see during their life, the more visual content there was in the dreams.

基本上，科學家認為人一生中看得見的時間越長，夢境裡的視覺內容就越多。

The blind also experienced more sensations of "touch" in their dreams.

盲人在夢境中也會有更多的「觸覺」經歷。

70% versus 45% of the seeing group.

觸覺在盲人組中佔了 70%，非盲人組則佔 45%。

The blind were also much more likely to taste and smell than the seeing group.

比起非盲人，盲人也比較容易有味覺和嗅覺經歷。

In terms of emotional and thematic content, all the groups reported similar results, but the congenitally blind group did stand out in one way....they had more nightmares.

在情緒和主題方面，所有組別回報的結果都很相似，但是先天失明組在其中一個方面特別突出...他們比較容易作惡夢。

They were 4 times more likely to report nightmares than the late onset blindness and seeing groups.

他們作惡夢的頻率是後天失明以及非盲人組的四倍。

So, why might those who are congenitally blind have more nightmares than everyone else?

那麼，為什麼先天失明的人比其他人更容易作惡夢呢？

The scientists aren't really sure, but they have a theory!

科學家們不太確定原因，但他們心中有個理論！

Nightmares are one of the ways that our brains process and cope with threats to our safety.

惡夢是一種腦部運作和處理安全威脅的方式。

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the blind tend to have nightmares about things like getting hit by a car, getting lost, losing a guide dog.

因此不意外地，盲人的惡夢通常是關於被車撞到、迷路和失去導盲犬這類事情。

It's unclear, though, if this means that the blind experience more fear overall in their lives.

但這是否表示盲人在生活中的恐懼經歷較多還不清楚。

Just generally speaking.

這只是個大概。

So folks, what parts of your dreams do you remember most? Or do you dream at all?

那麼各位，你記得最清楚的是夢裡的哪個部份呢？或者你會作夢嗎？

Let me know down below and don't forget to subscribe for more DNews!

可以在下面留言告訴我，也別忘了訂閱 DNews 喔！