Vivid dreams are interesting experiences. Shall we dive into the mystery?
Lucid dreams are defined as when you know you are dreaming. You are in between rest and awake. Sometimes you can do what you want with the plot of the dream, even change it to something else. In the case of nightmares, it may help, but experts say to flow with the dream. Nightmares are not just for children, by the way, so don't feel shamed if you have intense nightmares or night terrors.
Whether the dream you vivid-dreamed was fun (and you wanted to go back), or you never want to see it ever again (and a thousand years would be too early to dream it up again) is a bit of a dice roll. We dream 2 hours a night, 4-6 times a night. Most people don't remember their dreams. If you remember them often, like me, and return to settings periodically, I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments.
There are two stages of sleep, REM (rapid eye movement) and nonREM. REM dreams are more vivid usually, which means you are deeper in dreamland and it might be early morning. The general cause of vivid dreams are below.
Why is it Vivid?
You may have a fragmented sleep, which increases the chances of remembering dreams. Waking up during or right after the dream puts the memory right up front. Strangely, sleep-deprivation can also cause the same thing (since your body needs more deep sleep to recover). On medication? That can do it, too.
Nightmare-vivid content can be caused by a whole host of things, including medication. Anxiety and stress at high levels can lead to bizarre dreams, straight-up weird dreams, or disturbing dreams. Also, sleep disorders like Narcolepsy can cause some odd dreams, frequently. If you are pregnant, be aware of the dream content getting a little disturbing around the third trimester.
Should I be disturbed?
It's possible you may need to de-stress a little, but typically you shouldn't be disturbed. Your mind is processing life and emotions. The only thing that may indicate you need help is consistent nightmares. Get a doctor (and, personally speaking, I advise you to pray). Dream studies prove that dreams help us solve problems, process emotions, and deal with life and our memories.
Do you dislike your vivid dreams? Well, keep that sleep schedule. Make sure your bedroom is good for sleep. Relieve some serious stress and practice peace of mind. Maybe do some yoga, if that helps you de-stress. If your dreams are disturbing you it is possible that you need to be mindful of what you put in your brain. It truly matters, in the long run, so be aware of your thoughts and what you consume in media. All else fails, consult a doctor. You may need melatonin (but ask a doctor first!).
What Vivid dreaming has to do with memory
Your brain plays back the events of the day in your dreams. For example, did covid make it into your dreams and "cancel" events within dreams? (Yeah, me too.) That is just one example of proof. Dreaming is good for memory consolidation. While you process your day mentally, with whatever cocktail of movies and media you consume daily, your brain makes it into memories. If you don't dream it you may not remember it. What you dream goes into long-term memory and helps you learn.
Creative talents are fed by dreams. With this revelation, you may want to keep those vivid dreams rolling and think about what you want to dream about before you fall asleep. In this same way, I also advise you to keep what you don't want to dream about out of your thoughts before you fall asleep. (And if you don't want to dream about something, don't take in that content daily.) Exercising your body will help you sleep deeper, so athletes, this aids your cause, too.
Sleep disorders
A word on sleep disorders before you stop reading - sleep is critical! Sleep disorders can be linked to Alzheimers and Parkinson's. It deeply affects your memory to sleep badly, thus you should get help for a disorder related to sleep. Below is a list of sleep disorders with a brief description. I'm not going in-depth on these. Go ahead and feel free to do so on your own, or suggest one to go in-depth on for another blog.
restless leg syndrome - to have, just like it sounds, restless legs in the evening
Jet lag - time zone troubles that make your sleep pattern out of whack
Narcolepsy - overwhelming drowsiness during the day
night terrors - overrealistic nightmares that make you want to stay up rather than attempt sleep
insomnia - hard to fall and stay asleep
sleep apnea - a breathing problem at night
sleepwalking - exactly what it sounds like, walking while asleep
sleep paralysis - you wake up and can't move at all (as weird as it sounds, prayer helps)
Nightmare disorder - consistent nightmares that may get more disturbing over time
As always, if you have a suggestion for a topic comment. Sweet dreams, friends!
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/vivid-dreams
No comments:
Post a Comment