{"id":1393606,"date":"2022-03-22T08:46:41","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T12:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1393606"},"modified":"2022-03-22T08:46:52","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T12:46:52","slug":"the-heart-pounding-science-of-nightmares","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-heart-pounding-science-of-nightmares\/","title":{"rendered":"The Heart-Pounding Science of Nightmares"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-heart-pounding-science-of-nightmares%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1393606&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1u22pos\"><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re in an open-air shopping mall that\u2019s conveniently located in a swamp. You\u2019re ankle-deep in swamp sludge, and a moss-covered cypress looms in front of the entrance to Old Navy. Everything is ominously still and quiet, even though it\u2019s $1 flip-flop day.<\/p>\n<p>With the exception of that nice-enough person you haven\u2019t spoken to since you had a group project together in 2011, no one is around.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re ready to get home, and you know the parking lot is just a short walk away \u2014 you can see it. But no matter how far you trudge, you never seem to get any closer.<\/p>\n<p>And although you can\u2019t see them, you\u2019re unsettled in the knowledge that there are zombies somewhere in the distance, drawing ever nearer.<\/p>\n<p>All you can do is keep walking until you see their hunched figures slowly lumbering toward you. You squint to get a closer look. No \u2014 they\u2019re loping toward you now \u2014 and the parking lot and the safety of your car are still as far away as ever.<\/p>\n<p>You wake up with an audible GASP \u2014 eyes wide open, heart pounding. <\/p>\n<p>Then a sigh of relief. <em>It was just a dream.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Welcome to the sometimes scary, sometimes silly, always unsettling world of nightmares. Let\u2019s dissect these dreams and figure out what causes them, what they mean (if they mean anything significant to begin with), and how to get some relief.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-0\"><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>We asked <a href=\"http:\/\/siliconpsych.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board certified<\/a> physician in psychiatry and sleep medicine, to tell us everything we (never?) wanted to know about nightmares.<\/p>\n<p>A nightmare is any <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/why-do-we-dream\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">dream<\/a> that is \u201cunpleasant, embarrassing, stressful, or otherwise bad,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s really no official dividing line between good and bad dreams, so what constitutes a nightmare varies from person to person. One person may consider an embarrassing or cringy dream a nightmare, and another may just view it as a weird dream.<\/p>\n<p>But generally, if it\u2019s a dream that gives you bad vibes \u2014 even if it\u2019s not explicitly scary \u2014 you can consider it a nightmare.<\/p>\n<p>Dimitriu says, \u201cThe brain is essentially awake during <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/deep-sleep\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">REM sleep<\/a>, and the body is paralyzed (on purpose).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During this time, he explains, the brain is processing and storing memories, while also rehearsing past events and playing through potential future scenarios. Because of this process, dreams can be \u201cgood and bad in some ways, because that is also the reality of daily life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Preach, Doctor.<\/p>\n<h3>OK, but why are they so weird sometimes?<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cDuring <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/paradoxical-sleep\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">REM sleep<\/a>,\u201d Dimitriu explains, \u201cthe brain tests out new connections.\u201d This is what makes dreams, well, dreamy, and why they can be so <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/melatonin-dreams\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">bizarre and random<\/a> sometimes. <\/p>\n<p>The seeming randomness, he says, is what makes some dreams (and nightmares) so very strange \u2014 but it\u2019s all because \u201cthe brain is free to play during our dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-zya54r\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-0\"><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5837849\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">some research<\/a>, most people report having occasional nightmares. But if you\u2019re having them regularly, there could be an <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/does-cheese-give-you-nightmares\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">underlying cause<\/a>. So, let\u2019s talk nightmare fuel (literally) \u2014 what might these underlying causes be?<\/p>\n<p>Dimitriu says stress can be a really common trigger. \u201cNightmares can be stress dreams,\u201d he explains, \u201cwhich can indicate an elevated level of daily stress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also fairly common for people with PTSD to have nightmares reliving and rehashing their trauma. \u201cThis, too,\u201d he says, \u201cis the brain\u2019s attempt at processing sometimes painful memories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Finally, and horrifyingly, he explains the connection between nightmares and <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/signs-of-sleep-apnea\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">sleep apnea<\/a>. \u201cPeople with sleep apnea, where the <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/why-do-i-sleep-so-much-2\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">airway is obstructed<\/a> during sleep, will sometimes dream of drowning, suffocating, or otherwise not being able to breathe.\u201d (P.S. If you needed a sign to stop putting off that <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/live\/snoring-remedies\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">sleep study<\/a>, here it is.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-0\"><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Can they <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/vivid-dreams-causes\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">predict the future<\/a> or tell you things you didn\u2019t even know about yourself?<\/p>\n<p>The latter \u2014 maybe.<\/p>\n<p>Some nightmares may have common themes, but it\u2019s not necessarily that they <em>mean<\/em> something or that they\u2019re prophetic in any way.<\/p>\n<p>They just represent some of the common fears and concerns that are part of the human experience. Here are a few well-known nightmare tropes, some common themes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5837849\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">identified by researchers<\/a>, and some we\u2019ve even experienced ourselves:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>giving a speech in your underwear (a classic)<\/li>\n<li>phone stops working at an important moment<\/li>\n<li>trapped somewhere and can\u2019t get out<\/li>\n<li>being chased<\/li>\n<li>being attacked<\/li>\n<li>being paralyzed<\/li>\n<li>being late to something important<\/li>\n<li>injury, <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/happiness\/dream-about-a-dead-friend\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">death<\/a>, or disfigurement (such as the teeth falling out dream)<\/li>\n<li>disappearance of a loved one<\/li>\n<li>involvement in an accident or natural disaster<\/li>\n<li>presence of evil (vampires, zombies, ghosts, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As Dimitriu explained, remember that during <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/live\/light-versus-heavy-sleeper\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">REM sleep<\/a> the brain is processing your memories, playing through past events, and roleplaying potential future events. If there\u2019s a worry that\u2019s preoccupying your waking mind, it makes sense that it would show up in a nightmare in some way (after being passed through the bizarro-world filter).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-zya54r\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-0\"><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Now let\u2019s talk about some of the more insidious forms of nightmares: night terrors and sleep paralysis.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29630274\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">Night terrors<\/a> happen when you wake up absolutely terrified. You may sit up in bed, scream, cry, or start panicking. They mostly happen to young children but can occur in adults as well. Interestingly, they\u2019re considered a type of <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/sleep-talking\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">parasomnia<\/a> (an <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/sleep-texting\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">unwanted behavior<\/a> during sleep, like sleep-walking) \u2014 and they mostly happen when you\u2019re transitioning between sleep stages.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/night-terrors-in-adults\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">Sleep paralysis<\/a> is a terrifying but all-too-common experience during which you feel fully conscious, but you\u2019re unable to move. You may feel like you\u2019re being pinned down, or like something \u2014 or someone \u2014 is holding you down or sitting on your chest.<\/p>\n<p>It happens when your body is transitioning between wakefulness and <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/it-bad-sleep-empty-stomach\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">sleeping<\/a>. Essentially, your entire body is asleep\u2026 except for your brain, which is in a hazy, half-awake state. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28735779\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">some research<\/a>, it may be linked with post-traumatic stress disorder and panic disorders.<\/p>\n<p>Feeling the hairs on the back of your neck standing up yet? We won\u2019t tell you that some people with sleep paralysis can also experience hallucinations during these episodes, then.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-0\"><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Occasional nightmares are typical and shouldn\u2019t affect your day-to-day life too much, but frequent nightmares can be harmful to your health. In the most severe cases, they <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33185995\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">may cause<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>Frequent nightmares may also deteriorate the mental wellness of people with preexisting mental disorders. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6263296\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">one study<\/a> found that nightmares can worsen PTSD symptoms and accelerate the condition\u2019s development.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-0\"><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>But what\u2019s the solution, barring some \u201cInception\u201d-level <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/sleep-debt\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">sleep<\/a> interventions? <\/p>\n<p>Well, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33185995\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">lucid dreaming<\/a> \u2014 where you recognize that you\u2019re dreaming and thus are able to control the dream \u2014 is <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/how-to-lucid-dream\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">one such \u201cInception\u201d-y strategy<\/a> that actually may really work once you learn how to do it. There\u2019s a whoooole Subreddit about it if you\u2019re interested in diving deep.<\/p>\n<p>To get back to sleep after a particularly rough nightmare, though, it\u2019s best to <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/breathing-exercises-for-sleep\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">breathe deeply<\/a> until you\u2019ve calmed down, then roll back over and try to <a href=\"https:\/\/greatist.com\/health\/cant-sleep-advice-and-tips\" class=\"content-link css-1egta35\">go back to sleep<\/a> \u2014 rather than dwelling on the contents of your nightmare.<\/p>\n<p>And here are some strategies Dimitriu recommends for helping to prevent nightmares off the flip:<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also a good idea to try to start managing your stress if it seems out of control, because that may be a major contributor. If you need help, you should definitely reach out to a therapist or a sleep specialist.<\/p>\n<p>Dimitriu also leaves us with some wise words: \u201cBecause they mirror life, dreams too cannot always be perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-zya54r\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-0\"><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>According to Dr. Dimitriu, dreams are \u201cpossibly the best VR experience,\u201d but they can go a little haywire and morph into unsettling, creepy, or straight-up disturbing nightmares sometimes. People with chronic stress or PTSD may have more nightmares than most people, but getting enough sleep, going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day, avoiding alcohol before bed, and de-stressing may help. And definitely don\u2019t be afraid to reach out for professional help.<\/p>\n<p>Sweet dreams!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re in an open-air shopping mall that\u2019s conveniently located in a swamp. You\u2019re ankle-deep in swamp sludge, and a moss-covered cypress looms in front of the entrance to Old Navy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":505,"featured_media":1894142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1393606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/505"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1393606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1894142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1393606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1393606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1393606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}