Some people may not be able to remember their dreams. However, some people are able to remember it clearly and even retell it. These are called vivid dreams. Positive dreams may be fun and put you in a good mood. However, nightmares that feel very real can cause you to have trouble sleeping.
Table of Content
1. What are vivid dreams?
2. Causes of vivid dreams
3. How to overcome vivid dreams
Sleep is one of the basic human needs to rest the body after a day of activities. However, what if the quality of sleep is disturbed due to nightmares that feel so real? Be careful, you might have vivid dreams.
Check out the explanation below!
What are vivid dreams?
Sleep is a precious moment to restore the body’s condition. When sleeping, the body is in a passive state, but the brain is different. Dreams are part of brain activity while you are asleep.
Dreaming can help the brain eliminate unnecessary information or memories. That is why some people feel more refreshed after sleeping and dreaming. According To Cherelle Thinks Vivid Dreams – Explained!
Vivid dreams are dreams that feel very real. When you wake up you don’t even realize you were dreaming and can remember the dream again at another time and feel like it really happened.
It’s normal to have dreams that feel very real. This dream can be positive or negative.
Positive dreams will certainly make you feel happy. However, if the dreams that appear are negative and continue to occur, this condition can cause sleep disturbances.
Causes of vivid dreams
Some people mention experiencing vivid dreams more often during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it is unclear what causes a person to experience vivid dreams.
However, experts say that there are several factors that cause vivid dreams.
1. Anxiety and stress
Anxiety and stress arising from pressure and life problems are one of the triggers for nightmares, including vivid dreams. Some traumatic events that cause anxiety and stress also increase your risk of experiencing this dream.
The current Covid-19 pandemic is causing anxiety and stress for some people. This is what causes people to be more vulnerable to vivid dreams in the midst of a pandemic.
Harvard Medical School assistant professor of psychology, Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D., conducted research on this subject. The study, published in the journal Dreaming, says people tend to have more confusing dreams since the start of the pandemic.
This is related to anxiety and negative emotions that have increased since the pandemic took place.
Apart from the problem of the pandemic, several other things may also make you anxious and stressed. Whether it’s the pressures of everyday life or certain moments.
It can also make you more prone to having dreams that feel very real.
2. Sleep disturbance
Some sleep disorders, such as insomnia, narcolepsy, changes in sleep hours, and lack of sleep are also one of the triggers for someone to experience vivid dreams.
3. Medication and substance abuse
Types of antidepressant drugs, beta-blockers, blood pressure medications, Parkinson’s disease drugs, and smoking cessation drugs are known to also contribute to the incidence of vivid dreams.
Meanwhile, certain substance abuse, such as excessive alcohol and drug use can also trigger nightmares.
4. Pregnancy
Changes in hormone levels, emotions, and sleep patterns often occur during pregnancy.
That’s why pregnant women may experience more dreams that feel real than those that don’t.
5. Other health problems
Certain health conditions, such as depression and schizophrenia, are often associated with vivid dreams.
Several other diseases, such as heart disease and cancer also affect the emergence of dreams that feel very clear.
How to overcome vivid dreams
In some cases, vivid dreams may disappear over time. However, if this dream is too frequent to interfere with physical and emotional health, you need to change your lifestyle and consult a professional for treatment.
Here are some ways to overcome vivid dreams that you can do.
1. Get used to sleep regularly
Getting used to sleeping regularly according to a predetermined schedule and duration, can help you to reduce or even overcome vivid dreams.
To support this, comfortable and conducive room or bed conditions are needed to improve sleep quality.
Ways to sleep soundly and regularly that you can try include making the lighting in the room dimmer. Keeping the phone away sometime before bedtime can also help with insomnia.
2. Medical treatment
If this condition occurs due to certain health problems, medical treatment is the right way to overcome it. The doctor may carry out an assessment and make a diagnosis first to find out for sure your health condition.
In some cases, dreams that feel very real can be caused by mental disorders, such as stress or certain traumas. The doctor will consider giving sleeping pills or antidepressants.
However, basically, if it is not based on certain medical conditions, doctors do not recommend using drugs to treat nightmares.
3. Healthy lifestyle
Changing your lifestyle to a healthier one can make you feel healthier and fitter, which can help prevent nightmares.
You can adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced nutritious diet, drinking enough, maintaining an ideal body weight, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and maintaining mental health.
4. Overcoming anxiety and stress
Anxiety and stress are one of the triggers for vivid dreams. Therefore, avoiding and overcoming them can help prevent nightmares from occurring.
Some of the following ways you may be able to do to deal with stress and anxiety:
- Meditation
- Relaxation
- Breathing exercises
- Sport
- art therapy
- Doing hobbies
5. Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT)
Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) is cognitive behavioral therapy for those who often experience nightmares due to certain traumas.
This therapy can only be done by mental health professionals. IRT aims to reduce the frequency of nightmares experienced.
Even though it looks like just a flower of sleep, nightmares that keep coming can make your sleep quality diminish. This condition certainly affects your health condition.
That’s why it’s important for you to get over it. Some things you can do include controlling anxiety and stress that arise.
If the methods above do not work, you can consult a doctor to overcome the sleep disturbances you are experiencing.