Dreams as therapists

One of the areas of the brain that’s most active during dreaming is the amygdala - the part of the brain associated with the survival instinct and the fight-or-flight response.

One theory suggests dreams may be the brain’s way of getting you ready to deal wi...

Regularly occurring scary dreams can be labeled a sleeping disorder if the nightmares:

• cause you to be anxious about going to sleep
• lead to frequent disruptions of your sleep
• bring about other sleeping or psychological problems

Research shows that sleep helps store memories. If you learn new information and sleep on it, you’ll be able to recall it better than if asked to remember that information without the benefit of sleep.

Dreams may help the brain more efficiently store important in...

Runners and other serious fitness enthusiasts tend to spend less time in dreamy REM sleep, which is one of the lightest stages of sleep. 

Also, the more effectively you can de-stress during the day, the less likely you’ll be to bring stress and anxiety to bed. That should help ...

The dreams you remember are the ones that are ongoing when you awaken. To help recall your dreams, tell yourself as you’re falling asleep that you want to remember your dream. If that’s your last thought, you may be more likely to wake up with a dream still somewhat fresh in your mem...

• You’re more likely to have more vivid dreams if you’ve had some restless nights.
• Being pregnant is also a catalyst for vivid dreaming. Increased hormone production affects the way your brain processes thoughts and emotions.
• Mental health disorders such as depression and anx...

Certain foods lead to wilder or better dreams.

Food that causes you to wake up throughout the night may result in you waking up more frequently in the REM stage. When that happens, you’ll probably remember more of your dreams.