Dreams don't just happen -- you may be able to have some say. How? Every night when you go to bed, focus on what you want to dream about. Soon, you may find you can shape your dreams.

Some people can control dreams while they're happening. It's called "lucid dreaming" -- they know they're dreaming and can change the story as they go.

Everybody has dreams. But some of us have trouble remembering them. One reason? You may not be getting enough sleep. Some scientists believe sleep helps your mind process what you do during the day and turn it into memories.

You need at least 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep a night. Remember that the next time you’re thinking about pulling an all-nighter to cram for a test. Your brain needs sleep to soak in knowledge.

Maybe you've heard this urban legend, but it’s not true. People "die" in dreams and wake up fine all the time.

Nightmares happen to everyone. But if you have them a lot, think about why. Stress can trigger them. Feeling frazzled? Sometimes writing out your stresses in a journal can help you feel better and sleep better.

Dreams are not supposed to start until you've been asleep for more than an hour. When you don't get enough sleep at night, your body can jump straight into the dream stage of sleep. But you won't be well-rested.

For better sleep, try turning off all electronics, including your phone, an hour before bed to unwind. The light electronics give off can trick your brain into thinking it’s time to be awake.

Yeah, not getting enough sleep can make you feel bad, but it can also make you feel hungry. People who are tired are more likely to crave junk food and overeat. Your body is craving energy from food because it's exhausted.

Be good to your body -- if you need a snack, reach for a healthy one. And if you have a hard time winding down before bed, set yourself an alarm as a reminder to get ready for bed.

The word mare is Old English -- it means a witch or spirit or goblin. A "nightmare" supposedly would crawl on top of you while you slept, paralyzing you and causing you to have scary dreams.

But what do dreams mean? While there are plenty of dream dictionaries out there, they are just guesses. Only you can decide the meaning of your dreams.

It's sounds creepy: For about 2 hours every night while you sleep, your body is paralyzed. But it's to protect you from acting out your dreams and accidentally hurting yourself. Of course, you don't know that you can't move. You're busy dreaming.

Weird fact: People who say they've been abducted by aliens may really have had delusions when they partially woke up while they were sleeping.

Our most vivid dreams happen during the REM stages of sleep. Rats -- like most mammals and some birds -- have REM sleep just like us. Does that mean animals dream? Scientists think so.