Are you one of the people with vivid dreams every night? Read on.
You probably know that sleep is something we do to rest and recharge. It is very important in healing, too, which further tells people that the body completely shuts down during the process.
We have known for a while now that the opposite is true. While the body may be asleep, the brain is still very much awake. What happens during this time is dreaming – the brain shows us imagery that it has collected throughout its life.
Some people remember all their dreams; others don’t. At the same time, some people have the ability to recall every detail about their dreams, and it is this which is called vivid dreaming. Moreover, some people have the ability to have vivid dreams every night.
Dreams
Strictly speaking, no one yet fully understands why it is that people dream, much less why they have vivid dreams at night.
The current theory is that dreams help our long-term memory, to the point where some people now think dreams are part of the mechanism to sort through and discard any memories which are not valuable. Whatever the reason for dreaming, most people feel refreshed afterwards, even if they do not remember it.
Dreaming takes place during REM sleep, which makes up around twenty-five percent of your nightly rest. REM cycles come around every ninety minutes and can last between twenty and twenty-five minutes.
The average adult requires between seven and nine hours of sleep a night to be at peak health, which means that there is a lot of potential for vivid dreams.
When it comes to dreams, scientists found that people were most likely to remember the last dream in their REM cycle. This does not apply to vivid dreams since they are intense enough to be remembered no matter their place in the cycle.
Vivid dreams can be good and bad, realistic or completely fantastical – it all depends on how you take them.
Nobody knows what causes vivid dreams every night, but there are some theories:
You might be…stressed
Stress is definitely something that can cause you to have vivid dreams frequently or even every night. It doesn’t matter what it is that causes the stress, be it a near-death experience, work troubles, family politics, or the like.
These types of problems can often lead to extremely vivid dreams every night, many of which can be very negative and intense. Nightmares can be triggered by seemingly the smallest amounts of stress, although interestingly, what people have found is that the vivid dreams are not necessarily bad, and they are not necessarily linked to the business at hand.
You might be…abusing drugs
This can refer to either the drug abuse itself or the withdrawals from said drugs. Vivid dreams have been linked to the use and abuse of such drugs as Lariam, the various types of barbiturates, anti-depressants and narcotics.
Alcohol is another drug that causes vivid dreaming. Unfortunately, these types of vivid dreams are more likely to be unpleasant, leading people to be disturbed.
The withdrawal from many drugs, especially when abusive behaviours have been present, has a corresponding effect on brain chemistry. While your brain reacts to the changes that are taking place, you might find that you have vivid dreams at night as a side effect.
You might be…suffering from indigestion
Interestingly, certain types of food seem to cause vivid dreams. Of course, if you are having vivid dreams every night, then it might be time to consult a doctor since it could be the result of food intolerance.
However, vivid dreams are also associated with certain foods, such as spicy food, or fatty foods. Protein is something that works to cut vivid dreams out of your system.
When vivid dreams are your reality every night, it could be from a number of reasons, There could be too much vitamin B6 in your system, or you could have low blood sugar. Either of these is something that needs to be checked out if you have vivid dreams every night.
You might be…suffering from a sleep disorder
Sleep disorders come in a variety of forms. They cover disordered sleeping, such as when you have jet lag, are moving too quickly from time zone to time zone, and when you change your sleep schedule in any significant ways.
Actual sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy and (interestingly) insomnia, can also lead to vivid dreams on a regular basis.
You might be…suffering from an undiagnosed health condition
There are several health conditions that go above and beyond normal stress, which can lead to vivid dreaming every night. These can include normal depression and anxiety, but they can also include schizophrenia and other more major health concerns.
Physical health problems have also been known to lead to frequent vivid dreams at night, including heart disease and cancer.
You might be…pregnant
Pregnancy causes a lot of changes within a woman’s body, particularly during the first trimester. Many women have reported that they experience vivid dreams at night during the early stages of their pregnancy.
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I have been somewhat plagued w/recurring dreams for years-I tend to be anxious generally-dreams are vivid & I would love!! to be able to make them more easy to think about-my dreams are usually about losing something or faced w/a menacing threat-I have had a r easonably happy life-married 64-1/2 yrs.altho recently my wife passed away-had 3 children-l passed away -type l diabetes.-appreciate any suggestions you may have to improve my dreams & make them more palatable
I have dreams that could, literally, be a movie or written into a book. They have a plot, a storyline, main characters and everything that goes with it.