If you wake up in the middle of a REM cycle, you’re more likely to remember what you dreamed about. Warner Bros.
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The most vivid dreams typically occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
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Research shows that the brain is just as active during REM sleep as it is when awake.
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If you have recurring nightmares that disrupt your sleep, consider imagination rehearsal therapy.
Dreams have gripped the human mind for millennia. As soon as people could start writing, they documented dreams.
But for all the tens to hundreds of thousands of hours we spend napping over the course of our lives, we only remember certain dreams long after we wake up. These are called vivid dreams.
What makes some dreams so vivid and memorable may say something about the dream itself, what’s going on in your real life, or a mixture of both.
“It’s normal to remember dreams and it’s also normal not to remember them,” said Jennifer M. Mundt, director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Lab and Training Program at Northwestern University.
However, sometimes dreams can become so vivid and disturbing that they disrupt your sleep. If this happens regularly, it can endanger your health.
When you dream most vividly
Dreams dreamed during REM sleep can feel very real. Maria Korneeva/Getty Images
Whether we remember it or not, people dream every night while they sleep.
A typical sleep cycle lasts about 90 to 110 minutes and transitions between two primary phases: non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
While dreams can occur in either stage of sleep, the more vivid ones typically occur during REM sleep as brain activity increases then.
In fact, research shows that brain activity during REM sleep is comparable to when we’re awake. And some areas of the brain are even more active, including the amygdala and hippocampus, which control our memory and emotions.
This may help explain why dreams dreamed during REM sleep can feel so real.
Why your dreams are so vivid and sometimes disturbing
A person waking up in bed.
They are more likely to remember dreams that are closer to waking up. Maria Korneeva/Getty Images
There is no solid answer as to why people dream in the first place, but why we remember certain dreams is clearer. For one thing, timing plays a crucial role.
During the night we go through four to six sleep cycles. With each subsequent cycle, we spend a little more time in REM, giving us more time to dream. Therefore, we are more likely to remember dreams closer to waking than right after falling asleep. You’re also more likely to remember a dream if you wake up in the middle of a REM cycle.
In addition to timing, the dream itself also plays a role.
The more noticeable and intense the dream feels, the more likely you are to remember it, said Alan Eiser, associate clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School and consultant at the Michigan Medicine Sleep Disorders Centers.
Additionally, “we’re more likely to remember dreams when…they upset us or when we’re consciously trying to remember them,” Mundt added.
In particular, disturbing or abnormal dreams are a common side effect of certain medications, including cardiovascular drugs called beta-blockers, antidepressants like venlafaxine, and, in rare cases, the sleeping drug ramelteon.
Nightmares are also linked to conditions such as narcolepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, pregnancy, and recovery from alcohol and drug abuse.
When vivid dreams become disturbing, it’s time to act.
“Vivid dreaming can become a health problem when the dreams significantly interfere with a good night’s sleep over a long period of time, as is the case with post-traumatic stress disorder, night terrors, and nightmare disorders,” said Dr. Temitayo Oyegbile-Chidi, associate professor of neurology, epilepsy and sleep medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine.
How to overcome vivid nightmares
Practicing mindfulness can help you overcome bad dreams. Maria Korneeva/Getty Images
The first step in preventing nightmares is getting adequate sleep and practicing guided relaxation before bed, Mundt said.
If the nightmares persist and you’re having trouble getting back to sleep, Mundt recommends noticing things around you to ground yourself in the present — like the objects in your room or the color of your ceilings — to remind yourself that you are awake and safe.
If that doesn’t help, however, Mundt recommended a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy called Imagery Rehearsal Therapy, which she says is “the most effective way to overcome chronic nightmares.”
During IRT, a healthcare professional will help you change the content or narrative of your nightmare. They can do this by helping you reconstruct positive images instead of scary ones and rehearse the rewritten dream, sometimes for 10 to 20 minutes a day while you are awake. The idea is that once you fall asleep, the new images will overwrite the scary ones.
If your dreams are so vivid that they interfere with your sleep, you could make a note of any medications you’re taking or any medical conditions that might be contributing and discuss with a doctor how you can improve your sleep.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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