The ideal sleeping environment is like a cave: cool, dark, quiet. These conditions can help you fall asleep more easily and stay asleep throughout the night.

Here’s Why Your Bedroom Should Be Like A Cave

Your sleep space should not be too warm. Using a box fan or keeping the air conditioning low will cool the bedroom and help with sleep initiation.&nbsp;

Your Bedroom Should Be A Comfortable Temperature

Your sleep environment should be dark to help signal to the body that it is time to sleep. If there is light coming into the space, blackout curtains or an eye mask may help with dimming or eliminating unwanted light.&nbsp;

Minimize Light In Your Bedroom 

The bedroom should be a quiet space. Loud and startling noises may cause more awake periods during the night. White noise machines or fans can help to cover or drown out extraneous sounds.&nbsp;

Make Sure That Your Bedroom Is Quiet Or “Cover” The Noise

The sleep environment should only be used for sleep (and intimacy). This means that it should not be used for reading, writing, working, worrying, etc. Keeping the sleep environment a single-purpose space helps to maintain a strong association between the bed and going to sleep. In other words, when you get into bed, it should signal to your body that it is time to go to sleep.&nbsp;

Your Bed Should Only Be Used For Sleep (and Intimacy)

Even as a sleep researcher, I have struggled with consistently sleeping well. I would sleep through the night sometimes, but loud cars or early sunlight would often wake me up. One thing that I…

Emily’s sleep stash

Inside a Sleep Researcher’s Bedroom: How I Sleep and Why

A false awakening refers to the strange experience of “waking up” when you actually remain asleep. It can involve vivid, realistic images that leave you feeling anxious and confused.<ul><li>The key difference between sleep paralysis and a false awakening is that sleep paralysis happens when you’re awake, not dreaming.</li></ul>

What Is False Awakening?

<ul><li>Type 1: A type 1 false awakening proceeds in a fairly straightforward way. After “waking up,” you do the same things you typically would. This type often won’t feel scary as it happens, though you might feel disoriented or somewhat distressed once you actually wake up.</li><li>Type 2. With this type, you might wake up with a sense of foreboding or feel convinced something strange or bad is about to happen. This type of false awakening could resemble sleep paralysis, especially if you dream you wake up and can’t move or escape from some type of malicious presence in your room.</li></ul>

Two Main Types Of False Awaking 

A few suggested explanations for false awakenings include:<ul><li>sleep disorders, such as&nbsp;insomnia&nbsp;and&nbsp;sleep apnea</li><li>anticipation, or knowing you need to wake up early for a specific reason</li><li>noise and other disturbances that interrupt your sleep without fully waking you up</li></ul>Stress&nbsp;and&nbsp;anxiety&nbsp;in your daily life can also&nbsp;have an impact on sleep&nbsp;and potentially appear in your dreams.

What Causes It To Happen

Many people who experience false awakenings also have lucid dreams.In a lucid dream, you realize you’re dreaming. This knowledge allows you to maintain some control over your surroundings and even change the course of the dream .A false awakening can become a lucid dream, especially if you begin to notice certain details that differ slightly from reality.

Lucid Dream

Improving the sleep you get each night could help reduce the frequency of false awakenings. Here are some general pointers for better sleep:<ul><li>Turn off your phone and other electronics at least 1 hour before bedtime.</li><li>Take some time to wind down before bed.</li></ul>Mental health concerns, such as anxiety and&nbsp;depression, can also contribute to disturbing dreams and affect the quality of your sleep.

Sleep Better

False awakenings — the phenomenon of waking up in a dream — can feel unsettling, but is there really anything to them?

Health

False Awakening: Meaning, Causes, When to Worry

Why can’t I sleep? Too many people find themselves asking this question. If you’re tossing and turning all night, it may be time to seek help. Take this quiz to find out what the problem might be — then <a dir="ltr" href="https://findadoctor.ohiohealth.com/" title="OhioHealth Find a Doctor">make an appointment with your doctor </a>.

Take this quick quiz for insight into your sleeping habits

A. You’re gasping for breath B. You have trouble getting back to sleep C. You remember feeling paralyzed while asleep D. You have an acidic or sour taste in your mouth E. You have a leg cramp

1. When you wake up in the middle of the night, you find:

A. You snore B. You lie awake for more than a half an hour every night C. You have fallen asleep in social settings such as a movie or party D . You wake up at night coughing or wheezing E. You kick and jerk while you sleep

2. Your partner’s biggest complaint about your sleep habits is:

A. Grumpy and irritable B. Worried about whether you’ll get any sleep in the next week C. In a daze D. Dealing with frequent sore throats E. Feeling sleepy, even though you slept well

3. During the day, you find you’re often:

As: You have symptoms of sleep apnea, a potentially serious disorder which causes you to stop breathing repeatedly, often 100s of times in the night during your sleep.Bs: You have symptoms of insomnia, a persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.Cs: You have symptoms of narcolepsy, a lifelong disorder characterized by sleep attacks during the day.Ds: You have symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, a disorder caused by acid “backing up” into the esophagus during sleep. Es: You have symptoms of periodic limb movement disorder or restless leg syndrome.

If you answered mostly:

periodic limb movement disorder (uncontrollable leg or arm jerks during sleep) restless leg syndrome (uncomfortable feelings in the legs at night).Is it time to get help? Make an appointment with your doctor .

Definitions For Es, And Is It Time To Get Help?

If you are having trouble sleeping, it could be caused by one of several conditions. Is it narcolepsy, insomnia, sleep apnea? Find out with this quiz.

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Why Can't I Sleep? Find Out With This Quick Quiz

Hypnic jerks — also called sleep starts — are sudden, involuntary muscle contractions you may experience as you are falling asleep.<ul><li>They can range from small twitches to convulsions, causing you to sit straight up in your bed</li><li>Up to 70% of people experience hypnic jerks.</li></ul>

<ul><li>Intense exercise at night</li><li>Stress and Anxiety</li><li>Alcohol and caffeine&nbsp;</li><li>Sleep Deprivation</li><li>Uncomfortable position</li></ul>

Factors that might trigger hypnic jerks

You can reduce their frequency and intensity and improve your sleep at the same time, with a few relatively simple techniques:<ul><li>Adopt Better Sleep Habits</li><li>Reduce Your Stress</li><li>Exercise Daily</li><li>Minimize Your Caffeine Consumption</li><li>Avoid Nicotine and Alcohol</li></ul>

How To Prevent Hypnic Jerks

Hypnic jerks are sudden, involuntary muscle movements you may experience as you are falling asleep. Learn what may cause them and how to prevent them.

What Does It Mean if You Experience Hypnic Jerks? | Sleep Foundation

Dreaming is one of the most unique and intriguing aspects of sleep. During a normal night’s sleep, it’s typical to spend <a data-href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/patient-caregiver-education/understanding-sleep" data-reference-id="1" data-source-id="7" dir="ltr" href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/how-do-dreams-affect-sleep" rel="noopener nofollow noindex">about two hours dreaming1 </a> . The most intense dreams happen during the rapid eye movement (REM) <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/how-do-dreams-affect-sleep">sleep stage </a>, but distinct types of dreams can <a data-href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10779247/" data-reference-id="2" data-source-id="40" dir="ltr" href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/how-do-dreams-affect-sleep" rel="noopener nofollow noindex">occur during any part of the sleep cycle2 </a> .

What Is Dreaming?

Dreams can have imagery that is positive, negative, or outright confusing, likely reflecting a period of <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/how-do-dreams-affect-sleep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">immense imagination during sleep3 </a> . Nevertheless, whether in good or bad dreams, experiences from when you’re awake are <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/how-do-dreams-affect-sleep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">frequently incorporated into dream content4 </a> .Experts continue to <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/how-do-dreams-affect-sleep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">debate about why we dream5 </a> , but considerable evidence points to dreams playing a role in facilitating brain functions like memory and emotional processing. Dreams appear to be an important part of normal, healthy sleep.

At the same time, though, nightmares can disrupt sleep and even affect a person during their waking hours.Given that virtually everyone has dreams, both good and bad, it’s natural to wonder how dreaming affects sleep quality, whether nightmares are bad for sleep, and how to avoid bad dreams.

Dreaming is a normal part of healthy sleep. Good sleep has been connected to better cognitive function and emotional health, and studies have also linked dreams to effective thinking, memory, and emotional processing. In this way, many experts believe dreaming is either a reflection of or a contributor to quality sleep. However, not all dreams are created equal. Some dreams may have a negative impact on sleep. Bad dreams involve content that is scary, threatening, or traumatic. When a bad dream causes an awakening from sleep, it can be <a data-href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26401306" data-reference-id="6" data-source-id="36" dir="ltr" href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/how-do-dreams-affect-sleep" rel="noopener nofollow noindex">considered a nightmare6 </a> .

Do Dreams Impact Sleep Quality?

Most people have a bad dream or nightmare every once in a while with no notable impact on their sleep quality. When nightmares happen often, though, they can become a barrier to sleep. For some people, nightmares occur multiple times per week and/or more than once in any given night.

Nightmare disorder can be loosely defined as the occurrence of frequent nightmares that interfere <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/how-do-dreams-affect-sleep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">with a person’s sleep and/or their mood or thinking during the day7 </a> . People with nightmare disorder may have restless sleep with more awakenings and greater difficulty getting back to sleep. In addition, they may avoid sleep because of their fear of disturbing dreams, increasing their risk of <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">insomnia </a>and sleep deprivation.

Sleeping habits that's are Bad for Your Health.

People should talk with their doctor8&nbsp;&nbsp;if they have nightmares more than once a week, have their sleep disrupted by nightmares, or notice that their daytime mood, thinking, or energy level is affected by nightmares. A doctor can work with them to identify the most likely cause and optimal treatment to reduce these bothersome dreams.﻿

<ul><li>Healthy dreaming may be indicative of quality sleep that facilitates sharper thinking, better mood, and overall health.</li><li>Dreaming may provide for more expansive or inspirational thinking, forming the underlying concept behind the maxim to “follow your dreams.”</li><li>Dreaming may enhance memory consolidation, making it easier to remember important information.</li></ul>

<ul><li>People with mental health disorders, such as anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may experience worse symptoms as a result of recurring nightmares.</li><li>Nightmares may interrupt sleep, causing daytime sleepiness, worsened mood, or thinking problems during the day.</li></ul>

If you have frequent bad dreams, start by talking with your doctor who can help determine if you have nightmare disorder. Treatment for nightmare disorder can include behavioral therapy and/or medications.Improving habits and <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sleep hygiene </a>can help reduce bad dreams. Some specific tips include:

How Can You Stop Bad Dreams And Nightmares?!

<ul><li>Practice <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/relaxation-exercises-to-help-fall-asleep">relaxation techniques </a>to minimize stress and anxiety, both of which can provoke nightmares. </li><li>Give yourself time to wind down before bed in a calm and comforting bedroom environment. </li><li>Avoid screen time for an hour or more before bed, and make sure not to watch scary or bothersome content at night. </li><li>Don’t drink alcohol, which affects your REM sleep, in the evening and especially before bed. </li><li>Keep a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends, to avoid sleep deprivation, which can spur more REM sleep and intense dreaming. </li> </ul>

Many factors influence dreaming, but it is not clearly established that sleeping position is one of those factors.Some researchers have theorized that dream content may vary based on a person’s sleeping position because physical sensations and pressure applied to the body are different for back, stomach, and side sleepers. One study found that people who sleep on their left side were <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/how-do-dreams-affect-sleep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more likely to have nightmares11 </a> , and another found that vivid dreams, including some nightmares and erotic dreams, were <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/how-do-dreams-affect-sleep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more common in stomach sleepers12 </a> .

Does Sleeping Position Affect Dreams and Nightmares?

A limitation of these studies, though, is that they relied on self-reported data, which is subject to inaccuracies. For example, many people switch their sleeping position during the night without being aware of it. In addition, prior research has shown that sleep position doesn’t affect the amount of time spent in the different sleep stages13 .Overall, more robust research is needed to establish a link between sleeping position and nightmares.

Wondering how dreams affect sleep? Learn the basics about dreaming, how dreams influence both sleeping and waking hours, and what to do about nightmares.

sleepguide

Here’s Why Your Bedroom Should Be Like A Cave

Inside a Sleep Researcher’s Bedroom: How I Sleep and Why

What Is False Awakening?

False Awakening: Meaning, Causes, When to Worry