Life is but a dream: How dreams can affect waking health

November 27, 2012 Filed under Health & Technology

According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, teenagers spend about one-third of their day sleeping. This may seem like a waste of time, but sleep is vital to a healthy body and mind. Sleep deprivation can lead to irritability, difficulty in concentration, and even depression. While simply getting a good nights rest is one step towards keeping a healthy life style, dreaming also plays a part in teens life. Many teenagers in this day and age have to battle a great deal of stress, and often feel overwhelmed by it all. Dreaming is a way to find a release from that stress. The subconscious works in dreams to solve stressful problems that plagued the sleeper the day before, although at first glance the dreams may seem to be random and without meaning. Dreams are a doorway to the subconscious, an escape from reality, and a glimpse into the mysteries of the universe. Some dreams may seem random and without meaning, but many studies show that these seemingly-useless visions could be the work of the subconscious as it tries to solve everyday problems, ranging from health issues to personal troubles. The act of dreaming isnt simply closing your eyes and falling asleep. In fact, there are actually two different types of dream states. The first is a state known as non-rapid eye movement sleep, or non-REM sleep for short. The other state is commonly known as REM sleep, or rapid eye movement sleep. Non-REM sleep is the first three steps in the overall sleeping process. According to WebMD, people in non-REM sleep rarely dream, and their muscles are also not paralyzed, like they would be in REM sleep. During stage one, the sleeper can usually be easily awakened, and may experience the feeling of never actually being asleep. Hypnic myoclonia, a sudden muscle contraction, is common in this stage, and is a result of the sense of falling. Similar to stage one, stage two is a period of light sleep which is filled with spontaneous periods of muscle tone, along with periods of muscle relaxation. A slowing heart beat and cooler body temperature indicate a body is preparing to go into a deep sleep. In stage three, delta waves, which are associated with deep sleep, began to occur. If awoken early from this stage, one may feel disoriented for a couple minutes. Dreaming in non-REM sleep, while more common in this stage than the previous two, is not as common as when one is in REM sleep. Dreams that do occur tend to be less vivid and less memorable than dreams had in REM sleep. REM sleep, contrary to non-REM sleep, brain activity is heightened, and paralysis occurs the major voluntary muscle groups. WebMD explains how, in REM sleep, heart rate and respiration speeds up and becomes erratic. Due to the heightened brain activity, intense dreaming can occur. About 90 minutes after the sleep cycle starts, REM sleep initiates, the first period typically lasting ten minutes, and each REM stage continually lengthening.

Dreaming, while seeming like a complicated process, is the subconsciouss way of solving that days problems, helping someone to work their issues out in a fantasy world with no consequences. A good way to analyze what your dreams may be trying to tell you is to use Dream Recall. The ability to remember dreams after waking may be difficult for some, but isnt impossible to achieve. The website dreams.ca, known as the Dream Foundation, gives some helpful advice on how to improve dream recall. One way is to keep a notebook beside your bed to write down any dreams you are able to remember, which will improve your dream recall in the long run. Re-reading past dreams may bring about new insight that wasnt apparent the first time around. Besides simply remembering past dreams and learning from them, there is also a technique known as Lucid Dreaming, which is when you are aware that you are only dreaming while the dream is actually happening. With that knowledge, one would be able to then take control of their dream, and potentially do whatever they wished. The Dream Foundation also shares some helpful steps toward achieving lucid dreaming. One such example is autosuggestion. Either while going to bed or sometime during the night, have a hopeful mindset that you are going to become conscious during a dream. It is also beneficial to plan a lucid dream activity, in case one does happen to achieve lucid dreaming. It is possible that someone could be awoken from their dreams due to the excitement of realizing they are in a dream. Having an activity planned in advance will help maintain the lucid dream and stay engaged in the dream. Dreams lend insight into everyday life and help to solve problems that otherwise would have gone unanswered. Determination and taking a general interest in your dreams will help you grasp all the benefits of dreams, along with achieving the feeling of balance and good health due to a good nights sleep.