What causes vivid dreams?
If you've ever woken up from an exceptionally detailed and life-like dream, that might have even resembled a real-life situation, you will have experienced a vivid dream.
Characterised by their intense sensory feeling and clear imagery, these dreams can sometimes be positive – but they can also take the form of nightmares, with us waking up with a jolt due to the hyper-realism.
While this might happen from time to time for some people, others will experience them more often. But why do they occur? And why do we remember specific dreams, as opposed to others?
According to experts, dreams can say a lot about what you’re going through when you’re awake. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about vivid dreams and why they might be happening to you.
What causes vivid dreams?
Even though you might not feel like you do, “we all dream for about two hours every night, during what is called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, in a few bursts, mostly during the latter parts of our sleep,” reveals Psychological Therapist, Dr Justin Havens.
“When we dream, we're processing emotions and storing memories made throughout the day. So, when you have a vivid dream, it'll be because you've experienced strong emotions during the day, or something that has spiked your emotions has occurred,” explains Martin Seeley, Senior Sleep Expert at MattressNextDay.
That’s why it “could be referred to as ‘overnight therapy,’” says Dr Justin, as we attempt to process what is going on in our lives.
While most people don’t remember their dreams each and every night, or perhaps only fragments, it’s typically more disturbing dreams or nightmares that physically wake us up from our slumber.
Dr Justin says that around “5-10% of the population,” find themselves struggling with these types of dreams.
Why do I dream so much?
According to Charlie Morley, teacher and author of books on sleep and dreams, “everybody dreams every single night, but not everyone remembers their dreams. So it’s not why do I dream so much but why do I remember my dreams more than usual. This could be because the dream content is more memorable, especially if you have vivid dreams, anxiety dreams or nightmares.”
What do vivid dreams mean?
While our dreams can certainly be subjective and, although dreams can be interpreted for meaning (water often means emotion for example), sometimes they don’t ‘mean’ anything – the brain is just trying to process information, Dr Justin explains.
But the experts all agree that vivid dreams tend to mean that you're going through a period of emotional restlessness – perhaps you've got a big event coming up that you're nervous about, or something bigger has happened in your personal life.
Often vivid dreams will represent things you're not consciously aware of when you're awake. “They take the emotions from the back of your mind and force them to the forefront, so take what your vivid dreams are about as a sign of things you might be repressing," says Martin.
Why am I having vivid dreams?
There can be a number of reasons why you’re having vivid dreams. For example, “if you usually don't remember dreaming, but suddenly experience having dreams every night, it's likely due to a lifestyle change that's making your dreams more vivid. This can be stress, hormones, or even medication,” Martin continues.
Other issues such as “prolonged poor or broken sleep and mental health challenges (including traumatic experiences),” can cause your dreams to be more vivid, says author and psychotherapist, Eloise Skinner. “Vivid dreams can also be experienced in early pregnancy or – in some circumstances – when taking melatonin supplements.”
On top of this, if you've experienced a period of sleep deprivation – whether you’ve got a newborn baby or have been travelling all day and night – “you are more likely to remember your dreams, too, as this can lead to extended periods of REM sleep - the stage in which you dream - which can intensify your dreaming,” Martin adds.
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