1/1/2024 0 Comments Vivid dreams meaning![]() ![]() In most cases, vivid dreams are normal and usually nothing to worry about. REM sleep is an active stage of sleep occurring about 90 minutes into the sleep cycle, which includes rapid eye movements and brain activity similar to waking levels. Dreaming is more common during REM sleep but can occur in both REM and non-REM sleep. Vivid dreams can occur anytime, although there are factors that can make them more likely. Dreaming can be a way to process emotions, and vivid dreams occur more commonly during times of toxic stress or anxiety. An unpleasant vivid dream, or nightmares, are unpleasant, scary, or disturbing dreams that the dreamer may want to escape. 1Ī vivid, pleasant dream may cause the dreamer to wish they could stay asleep or return to it. ![]() There are several theories as to why vivid dreams occur, including that some people may remember their dreams more than others or that people with more fragmented sleep patterns remember their dreams more vividly. This means that you should aim to fall asleep and wake up around the same time every day, which can help regulate your circadian rhythms and avoid over-sleeping or sleep deprivation.Vivid dreams are dreams that feel more real or intense than others. Having good sleep hygiene can help you sleep better, Dasgupta says, and potentially avoid bad dreams. This process involves writing down the story of the bad dream and then describing an alternative or happier ending, which can "Set the intention to have a dream end in a positive way, just before bed," Dimitru says. A method known as "dream rehearsal" is another way to help manage or prevent strange dreams from wrecking your sleep, Dimitriu says. You could also try occupying your mind with something else, like reading a book, until you start to feel drowsy again. "After an unsettling dream, relaxing, deep breathing, focusing on reducing your heart rate, and avoiding rumination about the dream are beneficial," Stahl says. If a disturbing dream does wake you in the middle of the night, it can be difficult to fall back asleep. To get better sleep overall, you may also want to incorporate stress-management strategies like journaling, regular exercise, meditation, or talking with a therapist. So try to refrain from activities that might make you anxious or get your mind racing, like watching a scary movie or reading the news. How you spend your time right before bed can impact your dreams once you fall asleep, Stahl says. ![]() In fact, there a few strategies you can try for preventing weird dreams or calming yourself down after they occur: Most everyone has strange dreams from time to time, Dimitriu says, and they are usually not a cause for concern. And the opposite may also be true: a lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation, can result in more vivid dreams. If you're sleeping later, you might be getting a bit more REM sleep than usual, increasing the likelihood of experiencing weird dreams. REM cycles become increasingly longer and deeper throughout the night, resulting in the deepest sleep just before you wake in the morning, says Rajkumar Dasgupta, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. There is also a strong association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the prevalence of nightmares. REM or dream sleep is believed to be particularly important in the processing of emotions." For example, higher levels of stress can cause an increase in REM sleep, which may lead to more vivid dreams. "We form memories, process experiences, as well as feelings when we sleep. "There is evidence that dreams are the mind's form of self-therapy," says Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. "If you are obsessively watching the news or scrolling through social media about the coronavirus close to bedtime, you may be more likely to have dreams related to the content of what you were looking at or the emotions you felt when doing these activities," Stahl says. Specifically, Stahl says that if you are focused on one topic just before bedtime, there's a higher likelihood that it will manifest in your dream. ![]() Research suggests that dreaming plays a role in processing information you've taken in during the day, consolidating memories and sorting new knowledge. The purpose of dreams is still a bit of a mystery to the scientific community, though there is some evidence as to why you may be having especially weird or vivid dreams: "Dreams during REM sleep are often bizarre, vivid, or whimsical, and are often tied to emotions," says Stephanie Stahl, MD, a sleep medicine physician at Indiana University Health. Most of your dreaming will occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which occurs about 90 minutes after you fall asleep. Our bodies cycle through different stages of sleep each night. ![]()
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