Lets Talk About Vivid Dreams (1)

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Although sleep time is regarded as a time for recharging the body, during this time, the brain is actually very much; we dream. Dreams could be scary or soothing, realistic or fantastical, mysterious or helpful. On some days, we tend to wake up and have no idea that we have just just dreamt, on some other days we could closely recall our dreams. This is because they were so intense. These are known as vivid dreams.

What are the causes of vivid dreams?

Brain scientists haven't been able to place a leash on the reason why humans beings dream in the first place, but a general thought on this is thst it has something to do with memory. Dreaming might help the brain to eliminate any form of unnecessary memories or information while processing and storing the one's that's important. Quite a lot of persons feel more refreshed immediately after having had some sleep and dreamt even if they do not actually remember having dreamt. We are most likely to remember the last dream we havw had in our sleep cycle. But then it’s quite possible to remember a vivid dream long after it’s occurred irrespective of how intense it seemed.

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Vivid dreams could be either negative or positive, realistic or fantasy. Brain scientists know for a fact that most heavy dreaming takes place during the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep normally cycles every ninety (90) minutes during a night of sleep and might last about twenty (20) to twenty five (25) minutes. About twenty (25) percent of an average adult’s night of sleep is spent within REM cycles. The average adult should be getting between seven (7) and nine (9) hours of sleep each night for an optimal health. That’s a lot of time for dreaming you know.

So, what really is the cause of these vivid dreams? Although brain scientists are not completely sure. But they think the underlisted factors might play a part in it.

• Stress or anxiety

Real or imagined difficulties could make a person to experience anxiety and stress in their day to day life. Problems from friends, family, at school, or work could easily trigger some intense dreams as could big events, the likes of getting married or buying a car. Stress which arises as a result of traumatic events, the likes of death of a special persom, sexual abuse, or even a car accident could also bring about vivid dreams. Anxiety, specifically is closely ssociated with an increased risk of intense nightmares.

• Sleeping Issues Or Disorder

Sleeping disorders which cause a lack of sleep, the likes of narcolepsy, insomnia etc could easily result in an increased risk of experiencing vivid dreams. Modification to one's sleep schedule such as getting less sleep than usual, could also increase this risk.

• Medications

There are some medications that have been reported to contribute to vivid dreams. These medications include many antidepressants, beta blockers, blood pressure medications, Parkinson’s disease drugs, and drugs to stop smoking.

• Substance abuse

The use of excess alcohol, some recreational drugs, or going through some drugs withdrawal could also trigger vivid dreams, and often nightmares.

In addition to stress and anxiety, a lot of other conditions, the likes depression, schizophrenia, early pregnancy are also associated with vivid dreams. Physical illnesses, the likes of cancer and heart diseases have also been closely associated with vivid dreams.