Dreaming – nocturnal images, sometimes beautiful, sometimes chaotic, sometimes scary. Many experts in sleep and dream research believe that dreams reflect experiences of everyday life of persons. After all, things that are important to one also occur in dreams – both the bad and the good. However, those who frequently have bad dreams may develop complaints that should be combated with the help of relaxation exercises or professional help.
What is dreaming?
A dream is a mental activity that our brain performs when we sleep. Dreams can be experienced in all stages of sleep (falling asleep, waking up, REM sleep, NREM sleep). A dream is thus a mental activity that our brain performs when we sleep. It is often associated with vivid images and triggers intense feelings. Upon awakening, the dreamer often has no or only partial recollection of his or her dream. Dreams that cause fear or frighten are nightmares. The term nightmare comes from Germanic mythology. There, albas (elves) were responsible for bad dreams. Albums were usually imagined on the chest of the sleeping person, which caused an unpleasant feeling of pressure. If fantasy images and imaginations are experienced while awake, i.e. in a fully conscious state, they are called daydreams. They can often – in contrast to nocturnal dreaming – be consciously controlled or even brought about by the respective person. The attention slides here purposefully away from the external stimuli of the environment to an internal fantasy world. Daydreaming is thus a form of trance into which the person can put himself. The action of a dream is often impossible in reality (for example, flying) or at least improbable (for example, meeting a celebrity). But real things or events can also be processed in dreams – for example, dreaming about one’s favorite food while the person is on a diet. The frequency of dreaming is probably about the same for all people, but the ability to remember it varies greatly from person to person. People who want to remember their dreams specifically can, for example, increase the intensity of dreaming and expand their memory by meditating before sleep and keeping a dream diary. People who are often plagued by nightmares and want to suppress dreaming can take certain psychotropic drugs that provide dreamless sleep.
Function and task
To this day, it is not known exactly why people dream. There are various theories and hypotheses, depending on the scientific background. Brain research, for example, considers dreams as a physiological response of special neuronal processes. Depth psychology, on the other hand, considers dreams to be a reflection of the subconscious mind. What is certain, however, is that during sleep the brain processes what has been experienced and learned during the day. Some scientists therefore assume that the brain mixes new information with the old and then stores it. For this reason, it should also help, for example, to combine a short break after learning with a 20 to 30-minute sleep. In the sleep thus topics are processed, which occupy the Träumenden. Sometimes solutions to current problems are found in this way, which the dreamer would not have thought of in an awake state. In a similar theory, dreams are about preparing for future situations in life. For example, young children dream very intensively in REM sleep. REM sleep is the deepest phase of sleep, during which most dreaming takes place. It accounts for about 20 percent of total sleep. REM stands for rapid eye movement, as the eyes move back and forth behind the closed eyelids. During this time, the brain is working most actively. Young children use it to process muscle movements or grasping reflexes, for example, which they will still need later in life. Another assumption of scientists is that people should learn in dreams to deal with fearful situations and overcome fear if necessary.
Diseases and ailments
However, those who have bad dreams for a long time may also develop diseases and ailments. This is especially the case if one is burdened by recurring nightmares.If you can’t get the dream out of your head and are sad or anxious the next day because of it, or are always thinking about it, or are even afraid of the next night and the next bad dream, professional help is advisable. Stress is by far the most common trigger for nightmares. But also movies and TV series or strokes of fate can lead to such anxiety dreams. Fear or feelings of guilt are further processed in the dream. Traumatic experiences, abuse, rape, or accidents can cause post-traumatic stress disorder and give rise to nightmares. Affected individuals react unusually violently to these dreams, often developing symptoms such as rapid heartbeat and restlessness. If left untreated, these recurring nightmares can last a lifetime. As a measure that can be taken without professional help, relieving the stress of everyday life has proven to be effective. Relaxation exercises provide a calmer sleep and positive feelings. To enhance the effect, professional relaxation methods can also be added. Yoga or meditation as well as progressive muscle relaxation also help to slow down everyday life.
