Why we shouldn’t be afraid of nightmares

[Eldorado]

At the height of the pandemic, a strange phenomenon occurred – people started having weird dreams. The effect seems to have been most pronounced in those particularly affected by the virus and in countries with strict lockdown measures. Concerns about lockdowns, loved ones and personal health were suddenly jumbled up with other mundane thoughts, leaving some waking up in confusion.

For people on the frontline, the dreams became nightmares. Of 114 doctors and 414 nurses working in the Chinese city of Wuhan, who all took part in one study published in January 2021, more than a quarter reported having frequent nightmares.

Reports of nightmares among citizens also rose during national lockdowns, with young people, women and people suffering with anxiety or depression the highest risk. But for people who research trauma, the increase in nightmares was no surprise.

BBC Future

[Michelle]

It's strange. I have been remembering more of my dreams but they aren't nightmares. They make me want to hurry back to sleep to find out what happens. I can do that a couple of times a night...start off again where I woke up.

[Grey Area]

Oh man the dreams, the dreams that I have had.

None of them quite as vivid or disturbing as those just after the birth of my first child though, those were something else.

A recurring dream dream that We’d had twins, but forgotten about one of them.  Those dreams still haunt me.

[zep73]

6 minutes ago, Michelle said:

It's strange. I have been remembering more of my dreams but they aren't nightmares. They make me want to hurry back to sleep to find out what happens. I can do that a couple of times a night...start off again where I woke up.

I do that too! Wake up, go back to the same dream. Again and again!

[Michelle]

8 minutes ago, zep73 said:

I do that too! Wake up, go back to the same dream. Again and again!

Most nightmares I have aren't so bad. I wake up thinking I'd just figured out how to get to safety and I want to see if it worked! 

[zep73]

1 minute ago, Michelle said:

Most nightmares I have aren't so bad. I wake up thinking I'd just figured out how to get to safety and I want to see if it worked! 

In mine I always have a pickle to get out of, a problem to solve, and I love solving problems.

[Michelle]

2 minutes ago, zep73 said:

In mine I always have a pickle to get out of, a problem to solve, and I love solving problems.

The first thing I always remember is not to run upstairs or into the basement. Not unless I have a stash of firepower and plenty of ammo there anyway. 

[Grey Area]

2 minutes ago, Michelle said:

The first thing I always remember is not to run upstairs or into the basement. Not unless I have a stash of firepower and plenty of ammo there anyway. 

Whenever I dream of firearms they always turn out to be duds or water pistols or something, similar to dreams I have where I am driving, there’s always an issue with the accelerator pedal or I simply don’t know how to drive.

[Grim Reaper 6]

55 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

At the height of the pandemic, a strange phenomenon occurred – people started having weird dreams. The effect seems to have been most pronounced in those particularly affected by the virus and in countries with strict lockdown measures. Concerns about lockdowns, loved ones and personal health were suddenly jumbled up with other mundane thoughts, leaving some waking up in confusion.

For people on the frontline, the dreams became nightmares. Of 114 doctors and 414 nurses working in the Chinese city of Wuhan, who all took part in one study published in January 2021, more than a quarter reported having frequent nightmares.

Reports of nightmares among citizens also rose during national lockdowns, with young people, women and people suffering with anxiety or depression the highest risk. But for people who research trauma, the increase in nightmares was no surprise.

BBC Future

For me nightmares caused by PTSD are regular ocrrances When you become effected by PTSD, normal nightmares and dreams end and most of the time you remember nothing when you wake up, but you know it occurred because your covered with sweat.

[Michelle]

2 minutes ago, Grey Area said:

Whenever I dream of firearms they always turn out to be duds or water pistols or something, similar to dreams I have where I am driving, there’s always an issue with the accelerator pedal or I simply don’t know how to drive.

Oooh, the out of your control things. I abort those...

[XenoFish]

Nightmares often tell us something about ourselves. Our fears take form in the dream world. All Freddy Krueger like. When they start becoming more lucid and under more control we can confront them. 

[Grey Area]

1 minute ago, Michelle said:

Oooh, the out of your control things. I abort those...

Yeah I normally wake myself up.  It’s not those ones that disturb me though, it the ultra realistic ones where you wake up and for a moment question whether it was real or not.  It was those I referred to earlier with the twins dreams.... guh!