SOUNDS
You wake up after dreaming you're stuck in a burning building—and realize that the fire alarm you heard was actually your alarm clock. What's with that? There's a narrow window for sounds to get through to your brain during sleep. "They need to be low enough that they don't wake you but high enough that you perceive them." So let a recording of ocean waves play softly throughout the night. You might recall a dream about a beach vacation or wake up feeling relaxed.
SLEEPING ON YOUR STOMACH
Are you prone to racy dreams? Well, sleeping in the prone position (that is, on your stomach) might have something to do with it. A study published in the Journal Dreaming found that lying on your belly in bed was linked to blush-worthy dream themes, like having sex with a celebrity or being tied up. Researchers hypothesize that it might have to do with your breathing patterns in this position. To stop the sexy thoughts or keep them coming adjust your sleep posture accordingly.
VITAMIN B6
B6 is the co-factor our body uses to turn some of the amino acids we eat into the neurotransmitters that affect our dreaming. To stop the vivid dreams, stop the supplements. But if you're looking to encourage dreaming, stay within the recommended amount of B6 daily too much could cause nerve damage or numbness over time.
ANTIDEPRESSANTS
Yes, those pills that are supposed to calm you down especially the SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) class of antidepressants, like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft might be upping your nightmares. They've been shown to make REM bursts more intense in the people who take them, referring to rapid-eye movement sleep, the stage during which we dream. And most of those people seem to have more nightmares as a side effect. If you're feeling tormented, talk to your doctor about switching to a similar drug. While all SSRIs can cause nightmares, each variation tends to affect each person's brain differently.
GOING TO BED HUNGRY
You're struggling to keep yourself on that diet and you might be having the dreams to prove it. Low blood sugar can rouse you from sleep, meaning you may remember more dreams and those dreams may star a bowl of pasta or a piping-hot piece of pizza. In fact, anorexic patients almost always dreamed about food in one sleep study. Luckily, a small night-time snack of a banana or a glass of skim milk isn't just filling, healthy and waistline-friendly—it also contains tryptophan (the amino acid in turkey that makes people drowsy), which can help you sleep more soundly.
SCARY MOVIES BEFORE BED
You've been hearing it since you were a kid: Spooky movies cause spooky nightmares. The last thing you do before bed matters. "The music you're listening to, the book you're reading, the TV show you're watching, the conversation you're having with your spouse—all those things are likely to be influencing,". So if you suffer from nightmares and happen to catch a horror flick, take a few minutes to reprogram your brain with happy thoughts like vacation memories or favorite moments with your family, before settling down to sleep.
PREGNANCY AND THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD
Your baby's lost, so you search for him wildly, ripping at your bed sheets or even grabbing your husband for help. Is this nightmare typical pregnant woman/new mom anxiety? According to research, 'YES'. Studies have found that it's common to have extremely vivid dreams during pregnancy and your baby's infancy, likely due to a mix of emotions, lack of sleep and fluctuating hormone levels. Just like so many things that happen to our bodies around pregnancy and childbirth, there's not much you can do to control them. But these dreams are a sign that your brain is helping you adapt to this huge life change let that serve as a source of comfort.
@O'BLe_inspires
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