Dreams and Nightmares: Where Do They Come From?

Dreaming, although a substantial component of our nighttime lives, remains somewhat of an enigma due to the fact that it occurs while we are unconscious. The inaccessibility of the unconscious mind weakens full analysis and comprehension of dreaming which researchers have been attempting to accomplish. However, over the years many researchers have elucidated many mysteries about dreams, such as when we dream, why we dream, and what we dream about, in order to bring forth an understanding of dreams as well as identify

Dreaming is yet another state of consciousness. A dream is simply an unfolding episode of mental images that involve characters and events. Dreams usually tend to occur during REM sleep but can occur during NREM sleep as well. We dream on a variety of topics, subjects, and individuals. No dream can be exactly interpreted or defined, therefore people have always been fascinated with what, why, and how we dream. An unpleasant and almost terrifying type of dream is a nightmare. This is a very vivid, almost real

They used twenty-eight female and male participants, some with frequent others with less frequent nightmares. All participants were screened for any mental or psychological disorders. In the study, participants would have a nap, complete a task, and fill out questions on the state of their dreams and experiences. The participants would also nap for longer and then be awakened right before they entered into REM sleep. Then the participant would once again answer questions and write about their dream experiences. The questionnaire contained questioned related to the state of their dream, stress levels, nightmare frequency, etc. The participants also slept in rooms with continuous surveillance and with a polysomnography. The participants were tested on their dream and daydreaming conditions with similar procedures that were previously

Have you ever been terrified to fall asleep at night? Nightmares are frightful dreams in which the dreamer can feel threatened, severe anxiety, and deep distress. Emily Bowen has been experiencing these horrid dreams for the past week. These nightmares can send you into a movie like trance in which you are the star.

According to the International Association for the Study of Dreams, a nightmare is a terrifying or unpleasant dream. Most commonly nightmares are associated with fear and anxiety. b. Nightmares can have various causes. One of the more common causes of nightmares is the consumption or withdrawal from drugs/medicine. Illness can also cause nightmare.

The hypothesis of the study is that participants who have at least one nightmare per week will have more negative emotions in their dreams than the ones who have nightmares less than once a month; also, that the nightmare sufferers will have more stress in the morning and evening than the non-nightmare sufferers. An experimental study was performed using participants from a larger Canadian dream study. They selected sixty participants based on the criteria that they either had nightmares at least once a week, or they had nightmares less than once a month. The participants’ ages ranged from 13 to 58. The participants were split into two

What actually causes nightmares is unknown. However, being too tired, not getting enough sleep, having an irregular routine for sleep, and having stress or anxiety may all increase the risk of having nightmares.

A nightmare in particular is an event that typically occurs during the rapid eye movement stage (REM) of sleep. Researchers and psychologist (Lance & Schrijnemaekers, 2013; Barlow & Durand, 2012; Levin & Nielsen, 2009) distinguish nightmares as an event that awakens person, whereas “bad dream” does not. One of the prominent features that is most notable in nightmares is that they can induce anxiety, fear, as well as distress within an individual who experiences them (Nightmares, 2010). At what point, however, does a nightmare turn into a disorder and what should psychologists do to treat it? When diagnosing nightmares as a disorder, it is important to have an understanding of the DSM V criteria, the latest research; such as the percentage of people who are effected, the risk factors, the varies causes and comorbidities, as well as looking at the most effective treatment plans. (transitional sentence)

Dreams during REM sleep are usually more vivid, detailed, longer, and are way more bizarre than those in non-REM sleep. Nightmares only occur during REM sleep, as night terrors only occur in non-REM sleep. While dreaming in the REM sleep cycle, the voluntary muscles in the body become paralyzed, this is called sleep paralysis. This is why you might not be able to run or move during some of your dreams in the REM sleep cycle. Sometimes this sleep paralysis affects people’s breathing while they sleep, which in result, causes them to snore and have other breathing problems. Some people suffer from REM behavior disorder, which is a rare disorder in which the brain mechanisms that inhibit voluntary muscles fails. This allows the person to get up and act out their nightmares.

The humankind throughout history has tried to learn and figure out the meaning of dreaming. The interpretations and true meanings of dreams has expanded and has varied over centuries and cultures. Many of the earlier studies were based on culture’s and the interpretation of dreams, but also used as a form of prophecy, inspiration, and guidance. Many people still believe this such, people today beliefs and theories have opened up to a more vast interpretation, they are made up of; dreams are rare brain activity, dreams allow people to reflect on themselves, or that dreams are too massive to be correctly interpret. Although, not a single theory has been proven to this day, science as of why dreams occur is still a mystery.

As defined in the article “Intensified daydreams and nap dreams in frequent nightmare sufferers”, a nightmare is a terrifying dream that occurs in the REM sleep stage and wakes up the person experiencing the dream. The two types of nightmares that occur are idiopathic and frequent. Idiopathic nightmares only occur occasionally and have no known cause as to why people experience them. Although the cause is unknown, idiopathic nightmares seem to respond to ongoing stress and related concerns. The second type, a frequent nightmare, can occur once a week or more, and is linked with distress and bad psychological health. According to the article, people who experience frequent nightmares are more susceptible to suffer from anxiety and depression

Dreams are very unique and many people have theorized about what a dream 's meaning or purpose is, and what affects them. In most present day studies, more vivid dreams have been linked to the stage of sleep called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. REM dreams are emotional, bizarre, and sometimes so vivid we may confuse them with reality. Most commonly, a dream’s story line incorporates traces of previous day’s experiences and preoccupations. Unless a person is awakened during REM stage of sleep or the dream is exceedingly vivid or intense, most people don’t remember anything about their dreams during REM sleep. This is likely due to the fact that during REM sleep, our brain essentially turns off the ability to encode,or create, new memories.

Nightmares are unwanted events or experiences that occur while a person is sleeping or falling asleep. If a person suffers from nightmares, it can cause them to not want to go to sleep resulting in lack of rest which only causes more intense nightmares. Nightmares are usually extremely visual and realistic and tend to get more and more disturbing as they go along. These dreams tend to happen during the REM sleep period. Many people tend to confuse a nightmare with a bad dream. A nightmare is so intense and frightening that it wakes a person up. If a person has a disturbing dream that does not wake them up, then it is simply just a bad dream. Nightmares usually focus on anxieties, fears, terror, anger, sadness, embarrassment, and many real life situations. Most nightmares may just be a normal reaction to stress. Some

Everyone in the world has had at least one dream in their lifetime. Most people don’t think much about the dreams they have, unless they are recurring. Most people today wake up from a dream or nightmare saying, “thank heaven that was a dream,” or “too bad that was just a dream.” Many times these dreams or nightmares have more meaning than we think.

Nightmares are dreams that are scary or disturbing. They cause anxiety and fear, even after you wake up. People of all ages have nightmares, but they are more common in children. Nightmares usually begin before age 10, and girls are more likely to be troubled by them. Although such dreams are part of normal human experience, for some they can be a recurrent and extremely troubling problem. This is particularly so for young children but they can be disruptive to the whole family. Explanation and reassurance are often helpful particularly for parents who can then in turn be more reassuring to the affected child.