Via Founder @CaylaMeredith
*Trigger warning
I have had a few nightmares since we have been asked to stay home and to self-isolate- but last night took the cake. I had nightmare after nightmare- probably 6 or 7 in succession. They were TERRIBLE! They were the kind of nightmares that were so bad you don’t want to close your eyes again. All of them involved a loss of control and all of them involved catastrophes; a car flying off a cliff into water, a hostage situation, gasoline and fire- the list goes on.
I’ve already read several articles that said insomnia has increased, as well as unusual sleep patterns, weird dreams and nightmares.
Via an article on cnbc- behavioural researcher Christina Pierpaoli Parker says this may be the “WHY”:
We do most of our dreaming during a stage of sleep called “rapid eye movement.” This is when the brain grows more active and revs up the amygdala and hippocampus (regions of the brain that deal with emotions and memories).
In this time of heightened fear and distress, the brain has even more emotional demands to process. And because our brain likes order, the frontal lobes attempt to process, organize and integrate our thoughts to make sense of the chaos of REM neural signals (which is what produces those dreams).
In other words, our colorful yet strange dreams may be a reflection of the negative emotions invited by
Covid-19.
Clinical Psychologist Jennifer Martin says “we are wired to stay awake in the face of danger, and in that way, it’s normal to have struggles with sleep throughout all kinds of difficult situations.” [r:cnbc]
Research has also shown that increased anxiety during the day can lead to more negative content in dreams.
Psychotherapist Jupiter Vaughan explains your brain as having several “folders” for the things in your life. One folder for your spouse, another for your work, another for your worries and fears and so on. When you sleep, the subconscious can just run freely and pick something totally random [from any of those folders- “It can be an ex [partner] from eight years ago or something that’s really present, like the coronavirus.” [r:global news]
SO- Where do we go from here? What can we do about it? CNBC has some ideas below or keep scrolling to read the summary of it, along with information compiled from other news articles
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/17/sleep-expert-who-had-weird-coronavirus-dreams-nightmares-what-i-do-to-sleep-better-now.html
Wake up at the same time everyday- The body rewards regularity: People who wake up at the same time experience more metabolic health, improved cognition and enhanced emotion regulation. Having something pleasant to look forward to- like coffee or a morning routine- can help + the natural light also helps entrain your circadian rhythm
Try and Stay Active- Vigorous, moderate or even mild cardiovascular exercise (i.e., walking or doing household chores) stimulates adenosine, which helps build sleep pressure — or the body’s “hunger” for sleep. And an increased sleep pressure means less likelihood of anxiety or insomnia.
Use your bed for sleep (or rest, or sex) ONLY- With more time spent inside, people may start adopting the habit of eating, working or binge-watching Netflix in bed. This can be disruptive to our sleep, because it trains the brain to associate the bed with daytime activities, rather than a place for resting. *If you can’t sleep, get out of bed (or if in a studio, go to a different space in the condo, and read under a dim light, meditate, fold laundry, stretch- whatever! until you’re sleepy again, and then return back to bed
Take a Bath and Stay Off Your Phone!- Most people think it’s easier to fall asleep after a bath because your body is nice and toasty. But the opposite happens: It actually brings the heat from the core of your body to the surface, thus naturally cooling the body and promoting a more peaceful sleep. Also- Darkness facilitates healthy production of melatonin, a hormone that promotes drowsiness; whereas light interrupts it.
Stop Drinking Caffeine 10 Hours Before Bed- This gives your body a chance to metabolize most of the caffeine
Half an Hour before bed, Do Something You Wouldn’t Mind Dreaming About- Talk to friends, look at photos from a past vacation, read a book, do some light yoga. This is a way to positively influence your dream content!
Turn off the News Before Bed or Consume Less During the Day- Don’t consume stress-inducing pandemic updates right before bed. If you need to, head to a reputable news source 1x during the day.
All the information above was sourced from the below articles:
https://time.com/5821896/coronavirus-nightmares-dreams/
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/03/why-youre-having-pandemic-related-nightmares-and-how-to-sleep-better.html
https://globalnews.ca/news/6814991/coronavirus-dreams/
https://cnycentral.com/news/local/nightmares-over-covid-19-youre-not-alone-heres-what-to-do