Dangers of Lucid Dreams. However, The sensory construction of dreams and nightmare frequency in congenitally blind and late blind individuals. But rehearsing that nightmare over and over again means your neural pathways are getting reinforced. However, sometimes even the strangest dreams have logical explanations. National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information These medications include many antidepressants, beta blockers, blood pressure medications, Parkinsons disease drugs, and drugs to stop smoking. If you sleep on your side and deal with back pain, a medium-firm mattress may be just what you're looking for. Vivid dreams are often stranger or more lifelike than the dreams you typically have. Have questions for The Sleep Doctor? Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the body which supports the sleep-wake cycle. Thats part of the reason why theyre still kind of mysterious theyre difficult to study.. If youre experiencing extra stress or anxiety, have a mental health condition, or have experienced a traumatic event, you may also be more likely to have nightmares or vivid dreams. Most of the time, they dont remember dreams from the night terror. Scientists dont have all the answers on why we dream or why we have the types of dreams we have, but there are some clues. "There's not a lot of research regarding the meaning of dreams, but we think it's our brain's way of processing emotions from the day and should generally not be of any concern," Dr. Holliday-Bell says. Image by mbg creative X Aleksandra Jankovic / Stocksy. When a person stops drinking, it can lead to unusually vivid and intense dreams. We dont have the kind of steady, calm respiration that we do during other stages of non-REM sleep., Researchers find it challenging to analyze dreams because we often dont remember them. But for those whose vivid dreams cause frequent sleep disruption, it is important to get quality sleep whenever possible. Submit them here! In addition to stress and anxiety, other mental health conditions, such as depression and schizophrenia, are associated with vivid dreams. . You may even find yourself waking up wishing you could return to the dream. For starters, Dr. Drerup says you also tend to dream more in REM sleep. If you feel that your stress and anxiety levels are out of control, you might want to consider: Another major thing you can do is to make sure you always reserve some time for relaxation during the day so you dont feel overwhelmed. What dreams mean is still a scientific mystery, but heres what we do know about nightmares, sleep disorders and why we dream. "Whatever is saidno matter who says itand whatever is thought while in the dream are your subconscious thoughts. REM is the heaviest period of dreaming and learning during the sleep cycle. Some potential causes of nightmares include: People experiencing a lot of stress or who have mental health conditions like anxiety disorders may experience dreams that are more frightening. Many people dont remember their dreams or have only a vague recollection of what took place. Certain antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are most likely to do this. Fevers and illness can also impact a persons thinking and mood, leading to stranger, more negative dreams. In particular, guided remembering and reimaging of the traumatic event may help to lower the frequency of recurring nightmares. "Twenty to twenty-five percent of your sleep is a dream state, and women who are pregnant are . AASM sets standards and promotes excellence in sleep medicine health care, education, and research. Cognitive behavioral therapy is commonly used to treat PTSD and can reduce nightmares in people with this diagnosis. Most doctors dont recommend use of medication to treat vivid dreams. Pagel, J. F. (2000). And speaking of dream recall, the truth is, some people are just better at remembering their dreams than others, and it's really the memory of the dream once we wake up that informs us whether it was vivid. We asked dream experts to weigh inhere's what they had to say. Trusted Source Having frequent, unpleasant vivid dreams can interfere with getting a good nights sleep. Scientific reports, 8(1), 12762. A sleep supplement like mbg's sleep support+ can also help you to sleep more soundly. Problems with mood, such as depression or anxiety from dreams that continue to bother you. Everyone is doing it. emotional processing and memory formation There is conflicting data on the effects of melatonin supplements and dreams. two hours per night dreaming "It's believed by some that the brain processes emotions such as stress and anxiety during sleep, and the way this manifests is through your dreams, making them more vivid," Dr. Holliday-Bell says. Alcohol actually disrupts your sleep, so you spend less of your snooze time in the dream-heavy REM stage, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Several types of sleep disorders involve vivid dreams alongside the sleep disruptions or unusual behaviors they can cause. View Source Mood regulation, dreaming and nightmares: Evaluation of a desensitization function for REM sleep. Vivid dreams are almost always associated with waking up during REM sleep when your dreams are most vivid and more easily remembered. People who suffer from anxiety may also have more vivid nightmares. Simply put, by flexing your awareness in real life, you'll be more likely to notice when dreams get wonky, and you'll know you're dreaming. While it will vary from woman to woman there are some consistent changes that most women report if their dreams change during pregnancy. If you have recurring nightmares, it may be due to an underlying mental health condition, substance use, or certain medication. However, sometimes, you may wake up with clear memories of your dreams. For example, according to Ellis, alcohol is known to suppress the REM cycle (where a majority of dreaming takes place), "and when we abstain after a period of substance use, our dreaming rebounds with intensity, making up for lost dream time," she's found. That said, here are a handful of reasons you could be having more intense dreams than usual: Ellis tells mbg that dreams often intensify when we're going through particularly charged or intense points in our life. We look at 6 mattresses that'll make the best beds for tall people, including a brand that cuts custom sizes. What to Know About Dreaming Through the Sleep Cycle, Dominique Fontaine, BSN, RN, HNB-BC, HWNC-BC, Lucid Dreaming: Controlling the Storyline of Your Dreams, The 10 Best Mattresses for Side Sleepers with Back Pain. Our editorial process includes extensive measures to verify accuracy, provide clarity on complex topics, and present factual information. Running short on shut-eye can up the intensity of your dreams. Although you may not often remember much or any of your dreams, more likely than not, youve had a vivid dream at some point. The less stressed you are, the more pleasant your dreams may be. Many people notice their dreams become wilder or more realistic when they're pregnant. "Because of the poor sleep and decrease in REM the previous night, your body will try to make up for it the next night by increasing your amount of REM sleep," she explains. "Lucid dreaming is also another category of vivid dreaming. While this may not work for everyone, some studies show that keeping a dream journal may help those who usually have trouble remembering their dreams. In this state, a person can take control of their dream's narrative to some degree, essentially guiding and directing the course of their dream. Anyone can have vivid dreams, but if youre pregnant or particularly stressed, it may contribute to having one. It is best to speak with a health care professional for guidance on the best medical approach for any sleep difficulties. Stress and other waking-life issues can bleed into our sleep time. Behavioral and brain functions : BBF, 14(1), 19. The reason, like so many pregnancy side effects, has to due with shifting hormones, according to a landmark September 2007 study in Sleep. (2018). They might involve vivid imagery or intense . Nightmares are normal, and 85% of adults experience at least one per year. Interpretations will vary depending on the individual and how theyre doing in their day-to-day lives. A Word From Verywell So what do you think? In other instances, here's what Ellis, Laz, and Loewenberg recommend: One way you can "tone down" your dream life, according to Ellis, is simply good sleep hygiene. Pretty interesting it oc." These include peer-reviewed journals, government reports, academic and medical associations, and interviews with credentialed medical experts and practitioners. Sensory experiences from conscious states are woven into vivid dreams, filling them with familiar faces, sounds, landscapes, and other features. This could occur maybe when youre trying to get pregnant or if you were pregnant and had a miscarriage. NINDS aims to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. Many people have tried to figure out the meaning of dreams, and we've collected 45. Why Am I Having Weird Dreams During the Pandemic? Universal storylines include falling, flying, being chased or attacked, an erotic experience, the death of a loved one, and school-related events like failing a test. Vivid dreams can wake you and make it hard to get back to sleep. See additional information. Dreams are mental imagery or activity that occur when you sleep, explains Dr. Drerup. Rassin E, et al. (n.d.). Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Editor, a registered yoga instructor, and an avid astrologer and tarot reader. What does that mean? Do blind people dream, and if so, what do they see? Dreams themselves are a little less mysterious. . (They might raise your heart rate, too.). People living with REM sleep behavior disorder, however, actually arent paralyzed meaning they can move in their sleep while dreaming. Some people, though, experience dream content that feels surprisingly realistic, and they remember it the next day. Most people do dream, though you just dont recall them. Nightmares can be brought on by stress, difficult life events, trauma, some mental health conditions, and certain medications. If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, please see the Vivid Dreams and Nightmares Nightmares are disturbing, well-remembered dreams that usually incite anxiety and fear. In some cases, you may be able to control the dreams storyline. Vivid dreams are almost always associated with waking up during REM sleep when your dreams are most vivid and more easily remembered. Changes to your sleep schedule, such as flying overseas (and going to sleep at a different time) or getting less sleep than usual, can also increase this risk. We produce the best informational content to help improve your sleep but do not provide medical advice. Why do we dream? All rights reserved. What are the side effects of vivid dreams? We regularly assess how the content in this article aligns with current scientific literature and expert recommendations in order to provide the most up-to-date research. This dream loss occurs following focal brain damage (typically a stroke) thats specifically characterized by you losing the ability to mentally recall (or revisualize) images. About 25 percent of an adults night of sleep is spent in REM cycles. "In my experience and research," Loewenberg tells mbg, "I've found that individuals who are creative, introspective, philosophical, and emotional tend to not only have better dream recallbut also tend to have more vivid dreams," adding, "This is because the better relationship you have with your deeper,subconscious mind, the better you're able to remember your dreams and give them importance in your life.". When asleep, our minds are active, creating stories and images that can be either vivid or fleeting; nonsensical or seemingly prophetic; terrifying or absolutely mundane. But negative vivid dreams, especially if they last for weeks or months, can be emotionally disturbing and disruptive to your sleep. They also activate the nervous system, increasing blood pressure and heart rate and sometimes causing anxiety and panic when a person wakes up. Women also seem to dream more during pregnancy because they are more likely to remember their dreams. Such dreams are called lucid dreams. Physical illnesses, like heart disease and cancer, have also been associated with vivid dreams. People often say its like the same movies playing., Talking about a nightmare like you would a movie youve seen can bring about unexpected consequences. But there is some evidence of slight differences in brain activity and brain structure between people who do and do not recall their dreams. In some cases, vivid dreams may give clues about health conditions. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. If you've been plagued by the same vivid nightmare for a while, Ellis suggests practicing something called "nightmare re-scripting," in which you imagine the dream forward to a better resolution. Scientists know that most heavy dreaming occurs during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Linking psychological need experiences to daily and recurring dreams. Melatonin supplements and sleep disorders can mess with REM sleep, which is when the brain experiences a spike in activity, causing more bizarre and crazy dreams. Regardless of substances, "If the situation persists and continues to be deeply distressing, consider professional help.". The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. We'll also go over what to look for when shopping. (Not to mention cause a host of other problems.) But if youre trying to puzzle out what your subconscious is trying to tell you, look to your day-to-day life for clues. The main difference between a daydream and all other types of dreams is that youre awake during a daydream. After all, when you're aware you're dreamingand potentially even able to manipulate your dreamsit tapers the intensity down a bit. (2016). A sleeper usually reaches the REM stage after about 90 minutes of sleep, returning to this stage multiple times throughout a sleep session. So, what causes vivid dreams? Lucid dreams can have positive or negative themes. Nightmares and disorders of dreaming. Schedule an appointment with your doctor or a sleep specialist to try to determine what treatments or lifestyle modifications are right for you. Normally, vivid dreams are nothing to worry about. While most people dream in color, some dreams are entirely in black and white. Like most dreams, it often happens during REM sleep. Thats key. But you might wonder why your dreams are so realistic. This can be an especially concerning problem if your vivid dreams persist over time. But Dr. Drerup stresses that dream interpretation is subjective. If you just went on a date, your dream might be full of romance, or on the flip side, heartbreak, if youre having anxiety about dating someone new. And of course, the scariest dream you've ever had was probably pretty vivid, and you'd likely think of it as a "bad" dream. These internal links are intended to improve ease of navigation across the site, and are never used as original sources for scientific data or information. Lara-Carrasco, J., Simard, V., Saint-Onge, K., Lamoureux-Tremblay, V., & Nielsen, T. (2014). Dreams can be more vivid for those who suffer from schizophrenia or a dissociative disorder. What Are Lucid Dreams and How Can You Have Them? Dr. Drerup says nightmares are commonly associated with a variety of other conditions and events as well, such as: For someone living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), nightmares are often a component of re-experiencing or re-living their trauma. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(19), 3658. (2017). DOI: Weinstein N, et al. Learn about the pros and cons, and who should buy this. She received her bachelor's in broadcasting and mass communication from State University of New York at Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York. In some cases, you may be able to control the dreams storyline. Vivid dreams can also be upsetting or disturbing, and in some cases may interfere with experiencing quality sleep. You cant get back to sleep afterwards. However, its not from noise outside, but a vivid dream. Such dreams are known as vivid dreams. Stressed caused by traumatic events, such as a death of a loved one, sexual abuse, or a car accident can also cause vivid dreams. While we think of sleep as a time for recharging the body, the brain is actually quite active during sleep dreaming. Like all dreams, these may be pleasant, odd, or even frightening. Sleep medicine, 15(6), 694700. Lucid dreaming incidence: A quality effects meta-analysis of 50years of research. Our dreams can be soothing or scary, mysterious or helpful, and realistic or fantastical. It is thought that the increase in hormones that are the cause for many other pregnancy symptoms are also responsible for these types of dreams. There's no surefire way to control your brain's overnight activity and dictate your dreams. Cleveland Clinic 1995-2023. Most dreams are predominantly visual, meaning that images are at the forefront of dreams, rather than other senses like smell or touch. While we may consider any dream that we experience in. For starters, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (yes, even on the weekends) will get your sleep schedule back on track and help you sleep more soundly. The average adult should get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night for optimal health. Afy says her work with The Sleep Doctor is anything but sleepy. She enjoys the opportunity to learn new information and share knowledge that gives people the power to make better choices. But it is thought that dreaming, including vivid dreaming, helps to process ideas and feelings. The psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung both proposed that dreams reveal a persons unconscious mind. Alexa Fry is a science writer with experience working for the National Cancer Institute. 2023 Healthline Media LLC. You could have an underlying condition that may need to be addressed. If you are experiencing sleep loss due to chronic nightmares, it is important to speak with your doctor. Talk to your clinician if you are experiencing high levels of stress or sadness during pregnancy, especially if either is negatively affecting your sleep or waking life. And like alcohol, she says, as your body adjusts to a new medication, the intense dreaming should settle down, though if it doesn't, you might consult your doctor. While dreaming is nearly a universally shared human experience, the exact purpose of dreaming is not understood. Lucid dreamers, for example, can use their lucidity in dreams to master skills, flex their creativity, and explore their subconsciousand it will all be very vivid because of that lucid state. This can be beneficial and can lead to fun, creative insights and problem solving within the dream state. Dreams serve an elusive function in our brain. Several treatment and therapy options can help to reduce the frequency or severity of vivid dreams. For example, the same type of dream might be more common in Germany., Determining what dreams mean is a big question, one that doctors, researchers and scientists are still trying to answer. Here are some of the common treatments for vivid dreams. Zhao H, et al. Antidepressants suppress REM sleep, and decrease the amount of REM sleep that we have, explains Dr. Drerup. If you have a nightmare, youll tell everybody about it because it was so weird, right? ventures Dr. Drerup. When nightmares are so frequent or intense that they disrupt a persons day-to-day life, they may be classified as a nightmare disorder, and treatment may be recommended. Psychologists such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung developed theories to explain what dreams mean. Scientists arent completely sure. Imagery rehearsal therapy is an approach that can help people process frequent disturbing dreams. . Dr. Drerup says its not always an issue, but can be in certain situations. You may also remember your vivid dream a lot easier than a typical dream. When someone has a night terror, they wake up terrified but may only have a vague idea of what they dreamed about. "Some medications have this effect too," Ellis notes. Though they can sometimes be unsettling, intense dreams or nightmares aren't usually a sign of a health issue. American Family Physician, 61(7), 20372042, 2044. Up to 71 percent of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may experience nightmares, which can be recurring if not treated. You can have neutral recurring dreams or recurring nightmares. But Dr. Drerup says treating nightmare disorder is possible using whats called imagery rehearsal therapy. These dreams may be linked to frequent waking during the REM cycle of sleep. What do dreams have to do with sleep apnea? All scientific data and information must be backed up by at least one reputable source. We avoid using tertiary references. Dreams about your teeth falling out could be happening because youre grinding your teeth in your sleep, a condition called bruxism. So an upsetting, vivid dream is similar to you sending a strongly worded letter of concern to yourself," she explains. Doctors have several working theories as to why we dream. Nightmares can be terrifying and have lingering effects even when youre awake. Nightmares are vivid dreams with frightening or unsettling content. Our dreams might help us process and manage our emotions., Interestingly enough, Dr. Drerup notes that researchers have found that people living in certain places might have similar nighttime visions, although they arent quite sure why. As dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg puts it, "A vivid dream is one that is full of clear details, colors, involved storyline, produces strong emotions, and is remembered as if it were an actual, real-life experience.". But from a medical perspective, dream interpretation is still a mystery. Learn more about the contents of vivid dreams, their causes and meanings, and what to do to manage vivid dreams if they are becoming a problem. If vivid dreaming disrupts your sleep, you may wish to discuss your options with a health professional. Write them down, paint, or draw their images, mull them over, and consider what the dream is asking of you," Ellis explains. Dreaming happens throughout the night, but our most vivid and often remembered dreams happen during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The types of dreams you have also change. But they think the following factors may play a part. Even people who were born without sight dream their dreams are reportedly just composed more of the other senses, like sound, touch, and smell. These are common scenarios in dreams triggered, Recurring nightmares mean that you have frequent nightmares that are either exactly the same content, or unfold with similar themes. Advertisement How to stop recurring dreams. Young T. (2014). But other factors can affect the quality of your dreams too. They wake you from sleep. Colrain, I. M., Nicholas, C. L., & Baker, F. C. (2014). Vivid dreams might be caused by anxiety, pregnancy or even certain medications. Your daily habits and environment can significantly impact the quality of your sleep. The deep and restorative sleepyou've always dreamt about*. Resisting sleep. Theres no real way to tell if a dream is prophetic or not it comes down to what you believe. You're feeling stressed. These are known as vivid dreams. (They might raise your heart rate, too.) According to Dr. Drerup, this is likely because the stress is kicking the emotional processing that occurs during dreaming into overdrive. Thats not necessarily out of the ordinary. "Since REM is the sleep stage in which most dreaming occurs, it's likely that an individual has more vivid dreams after a period of sleep deprivation due to the increase in the amount of REM sleep they are getting," she explains. 2009 - 2023 MindBodyGreen LLC. Many pregnant women say they experience vivid dreams, especially during the early days of their pregnancy. This will level out eventually, she explains. Between 2% and 6% of adults have nightmares every week. Mar RA, et al. Mental health conditions linked to nightmares include: Nightmares have the strongest connection with PTSD. This treatment shifts the way a person views their nightmares by rewriting the nightmare narrative and making it more positive. Darien, IL. Some of the most common dream themes are about: Dreaming about specific things like this could mean many things, or as some researchers believe, be completely nonsensical. One possible factor is the stress that pregnant people commonly face, brought on by hormone and mood changes and concerns about becoming a parent. SpringerLink provides researchers with access to millions of scientific documents from journals, books, series, protocols, reference works, and proceedings. One study found that the three most common nightmare themes involved: Night terrors are a type of sleep disorder thats more common in children than adults. This ability does not seem to be related to any particular personality traits, gender, or age. People who are pregnant can have difficulty sleeping and may have negative or disturbing dreams, especially later in pregnancy. With nightmare disorder, you have these really distressing nightmares that are repetitive, says Dr. Drerup. When dreams become a royal road to confusion: Realistic dreams, dissociation, and fantasy proneness. Sometimes we wake up and have no idea that weve dreamed, while other times, we can closely recall our dreams because they were so intense. (2019). Wake and sleep states affect one another. Panic attacks may occur as a result of these recurring dreams. SleepFoundation.org is not affiliated with the National Sleep Foundation, an independent nonprofit based in Washington, DC. Partial REM-sleep deprivation increases the dream-like quality of mentation from REM sleep and sleep onset. It has been shown to reduce vivid dreams in certain sleep disturbances. Recurring dreams are dreams that repeat more than once. They typically occur later in the evening during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and cause a person to wake up abruptly. Within the rapid eye movement cycle, your eyes move in bursts occupying about one-third of REM sleep. National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information During an illness that includes a fever, dreams can be more bizarre, more intense emotionally, and can contain more negative content. Night terrors arent technically a type of dream, but a sleep disorder. This may seem like an extremely minor detail, but it usually has a powerful impact on the way we feel about ourselves in the future. But you might notice your dreams intensify the next night, Dr. Holliday-Bell notes. Relationship between dreaming and memory reconsolidation. Though according to Ellis, Laz, and Loewenberg, you're better off thinking about your dreams as messengers than inherently good or bad. Whether youre having vivid dreams, nightmares, or lucid dreams, if your dreaming starts to interfere with getting enough sleep, or you believe theres an underlying cause for your dream type, speak to a healthcare professional. is a sleep disorder in which nightmares interfere with ones ability to get sufficient sleep. Vivid dreams can happen to anyone. She received her bachelor's in broadcasting and mass communication from SUNY Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York. Some dreams are more intense than othersit's no wonder we've collectively decided to refer to the more intense ones as "vivid" dreams. And do we know why they happen? Transitioning off of substances like medication, drugs, or alcohol can increase the frequency of nightmares. Testing the Strength of the Titan Mattress: Is It Right for You? When people sleep, their brains remain somewhat active, even though their minds are largely unconscious. Disturbed dreaming during the third trimester of pregnancy. Even if youre having a sleep study, its not like we can look in your brain and see whats happening during a dream, says Dr. Drerup. In other words, you experience more REM sleep, which then makes it more likely that youre spending time where dreaming happens. The content of a vivid dream can cause feelings of joy or comfort. You might try writing your dreams down as soon as you wake up. "There are simply those whose dream lives are rich and vivid as a matter of course," she adds. "I woke up this morning and I feel much better. Nightmares in turn can lead to disturbed and fragmented sleep. Having anxiety or depression can make it hard for you to sleep . Several themes are most common to all people who dream vividly. (2001). Video of the Day Sleeping issues that cause a lack of sleep, such as insomnia and narcolepsy, can increase ones risk of experiencing vivid dreams. For example, a study of individuals with REM sleep behavior disorder found melatonin supplements Here's our guide on how to lucid dream to help get you started. People who get help for untreated sleep apnea often have a high level of dream recall and potentially nightmares as well, says Dr. Drerup. Its no wonder, then, that many people find it fascinating to explore the meaning of dreams. Your mental healthcare provider will ask you to continue playing over the new, nonthreatening ending to the dream in your mind. Dreams can also bring to light what were avoiding thinking about or our anxieties. "It may not be possible to change the situation, but it will help to process the emotions associated with it and to come to terms with what is happening in your life," Ellis adds, noting dreams themselves may even help you to do so. But sometimes those weirdly realistic (or just plain scary) scenarios your brain cooks up while you're sleeping can be traced back to something that's going on during the day.
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