People around the world have been reporting stranger, unsettling and more vivid dreams since the start of the pandemic. And research suggests that the quantity of dreams that are remembered are up by 35%. Some have nicknamed these “corona dreams” or “quarandreams”…
Some common themes reported to dream researchers include:
getting sick: becoming infected with the virus, being unable to breathe or admitted to hospital;
metaphors for sickness: like being threatened by storms, fires, insects, or mobs of attackers
jeopardized safety: forgetting their mask, getting too close to others, or people coughing on them
isolation: being stranded on a desert island or the opposite, being with lots of friends or extended family
Understandably, living with lockdowns, physical distancing requirements and mandated mask wearing means our brains need to process a lot of information about the coronavirus. Since the dreaming phase is believed to be part of the brain's processing of information, it isn’t all that surprising that these themes would creep into our dreams.
But, as we learned last week, we usually forget our dreams unless we wake up during them or soon afterward. A 35% increase in remembered dreams suggests that many of us are not sleeping as well in response to the stress of the pandemic. Reports of surveys suggest that essential workers, heath care workers, and those who have been sick (people most likely to have higher levels of COVID-related stress) are most likely to have disturbing dreams. This supports the likelihood that increased stress from dealing with the virus on a daily basis could be disturbing sleep.
We also often dream about the things we think about and do during the day. Researchers call this the “day residue” effect on nightly dreams. The more we are focused on the coronavirus or have to deal with its effects during the day, the more likely we will dream about it as our brains process the memories of the day.
And since stress hormones are designed to keep your brain more alert and activated, ready to respond to a danger, your sleep will tend to be lighter when you are stressed, allowing you to wake up more easily.
Controlling your dreams
When we’re stressed, we tend to have more intense and unpleasant dreams and dream experts say this increases the chance that you will become aware that you are dreaming. This is called “lucid dreaming”, when you are still asleep but aware that you are dreaming and not awake. You know the dream is not real.
With practice, lucid dreamers can even control their dreams. So, for example, in a dream where crowds are pressing in on you and you’re terrified you will catch the coronavirus, you can simply tell the crowd to back off and they will! You’re in control…
Another technique for controlling dreams is called “dream incubation”. Since you often dream about things you have been thinking about or doing during the previous day, you can plant some pleasant thoughts or experiences into your memory before you go to sleep, giving your brain some alternative pleasant material for its dreams. For example, try watching a movie or reading a book with content that you would like to dream about. If you don’t have time for a movie or an entire story, try thinking about your favourite vacation spot or a happy family event before you drift off to sleep. As dream expert, Deirdre Barrett, explains – “a pleasant experience as you’re falling asleep greatly raises the odds that your dreaming mind will honor your request.”
Lucid dreaming
According to research, around half of us have had a lucid dream at some time in our lives, perhaps as many as 75%, and about 11% have 1 or 2 lucid dreams per month. It typically occurs during the dreaming REM phase of sleep and it’s a skill that can be learned and improved.
Lucid dreamers report it is easiest to achieve dream awareness when you’re in the half-asleep/half-awake process of awakening. While some people simply wake up when they realize they’re dreaming, others can control their own actions within the dream, or parts of the dream itself, including the narrative of the dream.
Therapists sometimes use lucid dream training to address recurring nightmares that affect a person’s quality of life. This can be done by questioning the action taking place during the dream while dreaming, or by developing dream superpowers and either flying away or fighting back in the dream.
Others look at lucid dreaming as a sort of entertainment, being able to go on an adventure and experience something they cannot in real life. They describe the experience as similar to writing a story or playing a video game that they also can become immersed in. As one dreamer described it, “It’s not got much use apart from just being interesting, [but] it makes me happy usually… I tend to wake up quite content.”
How to become lucid in your dreams
Several techniques are suggested to increase the chance you will be aware you are dreaming and remember the experience afterward:
“Reality testing” – This involves verifying whether you are dreaming both in real life and during a dream. Checking “Am I dreaming right now?” or trying to pass your hand through a solid surface like a wall will give obvious results during the day, but at night this could alert you that you’re dreaming. Asking yourself regularly during the day increases the chance that you will also test yourself when you’re dreaming, when your hand will easily pass through a wall.
“Waking back to bed” – This requires setting an alarm to wake up 5 to 6 hours after going to sleep. Stay awake for a short while before going back to sleep. This technique is supposed to immerse you immediately into REM, the dreaming phase of sleep during which you are most likely to experience a lucid dream.
“Mnemonic induction” – Just before going to sleep, repeat a phrase such as “Tonight I will notice that I am dreaming,” to program yourself to achieve a lucid dream.
Dream Journals – The strongest predictor of whether you have lucid dreams is how good you are at remembering your ordinary dreams, according to dream researcher, Dr. Denholm Aspy at University of Adelaide in Australia. Some find it useful to keep a dream journal where they record their dreams in as much detail as possible.
Meditation and mindfulness – These techniques train people to become more aware of themselves and their surroundings in general. The idea is that, if you’re more aware during the day, you’re more likely to notice that you're dreaming while you’re asleep.
Any risks?
Some worry that they might get “stuck” in a dream and have difficulty waking up, but people only dream for a certain amount of time each night. Others are concerned that the extra focus and effort to dream lucidly might mean that the sleep is less restful or more disrupted. However, lucid dream researchers explain that test participants do not report more tiredness or poorer sleep quality.
However, they do recommend against those with mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, pursuing lucid dreams. The concern is that it may cause them to have difficulty distinguishing between hallucinations and real-life events and might worsen their condition.
So, I can’t say that I’ve ever experienced a lucid dream… at least not one that I can remember! But I’m quite fascinated with the idea. Perhaps it could be a way to experience a warm weather vacation this winter… just a little, in my dreams each night!
How about you? If half to three-quarters of sleepers have experienced lucid dreams at least once, many of you must have interesting stories to share…
References:
Dreams in the time of the coronavirus: How have they changed, and why? – Medical News Today
Lucid dreaming: Controlling the stories of sleep – Medical News Today
コメント