Dreams are generally referred to as images, stories, thoughts and emotions that occur while sleeping. Visual imagery is said to be the most common type of imagery. But all our senses can be constituted in our dreams. As people are different, the pattern of dreams also differs according to persons. Some dream in color while others dream in black and white. Blind persons experience more dream elements relating to sound, taste, and smell. Dreams have the ability to make you feel happy, amused, scary or completely odd. They can be perplexing or entirely sensible. Even if we don’t recall it the next day, we all dream. However, studies tell that it is during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, we have the most vivid dreams. It is the time when our brain is most active. According to sleep specialists, we dream four to six times per night.
Why do we dream?
There are several debates on the purpose of our dream. We have different theories on it and some of them are as follows:
- For memory building: Dreaming plays a significant role in the strengthening of our memories. It also has a cognitive function of recalling the information that we have gained.
- For processing emotion: Brain has a strategy for our emotions and feelings. Dreams try to connect and engage with our feelings in a variety of imagined contexts.
- For mental housekeeping: Brain strengthens through dreams by cleaning out incomplete, incorrect, or superfluous information.
- For instant replay: Your dreams could be the vague replay of your perception of recent events. It may be a sign of reassuring those incidents in mind.
- Incidental brain activity: According to this theory, dreaming is merely a by-product of sleep with no inherent significance or purpose.
Lucid Dreams
A lucid dream occurs when you are aware that you are dreaming. According to studies, lucid dreaming is associated with an increase in activity in some areas of the brain that are normally restful during sleep. Lucid dreaming is a mental state that occurs between REM sleep and waking up. Some lucid dreamers have the ability to change the narrative of their dreams. While this may be a useful strategy at times, especially during a nightmare, many dream experts recommend letting your dreams run organically.
Nightmares
Bad dreams are referred to as nightmares. It usually occurs as a result of the following factors: Fear, stress, conflict, trauma, emotional issues, use of drugs and ailments. If you keep having the same nightmare, it’s possible that your subconscious is trying to communicate with you. Pay attention. Consult a mental health professional if you can’t understand why you’re having nightmares. They might be able to figure out what’s causing your nightmares and provide you with some calming techniques. Remember that a nightmare isn’t real, and it won’t happen to you in real life, no matter how frightening it is.
Do dreams affect our sleep?
Dreams rarely interfere with sleep. Dreaming is an important element of a good sleep routine, and it is generally accepted that it is perfectly natural and has no detrimental impacts on sleep. The exception is nightmares. Because nightmares include waking up in the middle of the sleep, they might become a problem if they happen frequently. Dreams that are disturbing may drive a person to avoid sleeping, resulting in insufficient sleep. When they finally fall asleep, the previous sleep deprivation might cause a REM sleep rebound, which can make nightmares worse. Some persons who have frequent nightmares may develop insomnia as a persistent sleep problem as a result of this negative cycle. As a result, those who suffer nightmares more than once a week, sleep fragmentation, daytime drowsiness, or changes in their thinking or mood should consult with a doctor13. These symptoms can be reviewed by a doctor to determine the possible causes and therapies for their sleeping problem.
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