What makes you have vivid dreams

The act of sharing dreams reinforces our memory of them. It might also prepare us to remember more on subsequent nights. Dreaming can help us to cope mentally with our waking situation as well as simply reflect realities and concerns. In this time of heightened alert and changing social norms, our brains have much more to process during sleep and dreaming.

More stressful dream content is to be expected if we feel anxious or stressed in relation to the pandemic, or our working or family situations. Hence more reports of dreams containing fear, embarrassment, social taboos, occupational stress, grief and loss, unreachable family, as well as more literal dreams around contamination or disease are being recorded.

An increase in unusual or vivid dreams and nightmares is not surprising. Such experiences have been reported before at times associated with sudden change, anxiety or trauma , such as the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the US in , or natural disasters or war.

Those with an anxiety disorder or experiencing the trauma first-hand are highly likely also to experience changes to dreams. One theory on dreams is they serve to process the emotional demands of the day, to commit experiences to memory, solve problems, adapt and learn.

This is achieved through the reactivation of particular brain areas during REM sleep and the consolidation of neural connections. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Women's Health. Primary Care. Mental Health. More Button Icon Circle with three vertical dots. It indicates a way to see more nav menu items inside the site menu by triggering the side menu to open and close.

Erin Heger. It is also possible for people with anxiety to experience more vivid dreams. These may feature situations of high anxiety or panic, such as running late or general embarrassment. People with narcolepsy often say that they have vivid dreams that can be bizarre or disturbing.

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that blurs the line between sleep and wakefulness. People with the condition feel very sleepy and fatigued during the day.

Symptoms include sleep attacks, wherein a person falls asleep and experiences a sudden loss of muscle control cataplexy during the day. When someone has narcolepsy, they fall into REM sleep shortly after falling asleep. This can cause them to have vivid dreams even during a brief nap. People with narcolepsy may also experience lucid dreaming. In lucid dreaming, a person is aware that they are dreaming, and they may also be able to control the experience.

In cases such as pregnancy and short-term stress, vivid dreams will usually go away on their own. However, there are a few ways that people can avoid having vivid dreams. These include avoiding substances such as marijuana, cocaine, and ketamine and reducing alcohol consumption. These have different stages. People will cycle through these stages several times in a typical night.

Everyone has vivid dreams occasionally. Any number of things, from pregnancy to stress, can contribute to vivid dreams. Stress and anxiety aren't the only causes of vivid or upsetting dreams. Other factors that may cause you to remember vivid dreams more often include the following:.

Certain antidepressants may increase the frequency of vivid dreams and nightmares, and cause people to recall their dreams more often. The class of antidepressants that are most closely associated with this effect are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs.

In particular, Prozac fluoxetine has been linked to increased vivid dreams and nightmares. People who take this SSRI are more likely to recall their dreams as well. Another class of medications that are linked to vivid dreams are beta-blockers —a medication commonly used to treat cardiovascular disease. Lopressor and Toprol XL metoprolol are two beta-blockers that are closely associated with vivid dreams and sleep disturbances.

Sleep disorders heighten your body's response to stress , affect your ability to recall memories, and reduce your overall quality of life. They are also linked to serious health conditions, like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Experts believe that frequently waking up throughout the night is just as harmful on the body and the brain as not getting any sleep at all.

When your REM sleep is interrupted, you are more likely to recall having a vivid dream. Sleep disorders that may have this effect include insomnia , sleep apnea , restless legs syndrome , narcolepsy , and circadian rhythm disorders. People who are in their third trimester of pregnancy may have vivid dreams and nightmares more frequently than those who are not pregnant.

One research study gathered 59 non-pregnant women and 57 pregnant women in their third trimester. Between the two groups, there was no difference in the frequency of dream recall. The pregnant women also reported poorer sleep quality. Researchers believe that the various hormonal and physical changes in pregnancy make people more prone to insomnia, interrupted sleep, and recalling bad dreams. Nightmares are common among people who have a substance abuse disorder.

People who are addicted to drinking or drugs are also more likely to experience severe psychological stress—possibly due to childhood abuse or post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD.

Experts believe this explains why people with substance abuse disorders experience nightmares so frequently. Additionally, people who are in withdrawal or who have become sober often have dreams of themselves using the substance again. Experts view these "drinking dreams" and "drug dreams" as markers of the switch from psychological to physical addiction.

Nightmares are a common in several mental health conditions, including:. Nightmares are generally a symptom of these disorders, and they can happen regularly or in episodes. In bipolar disorder, nightmares can signal that a manic or depressive episode is about to begin. In some cases, an episode of nightmares can occur one or more years before the actual onset of bipolar disorder. These are known as intrusive dreams, and they can often result in insomnia—particularly when the affected person develops a fear of falling asleep.

Having intrusive dreams can make it especially difficult to cope with past trauma. If you are struggling with frequent intrusive dreams, consider reaching out to a psychotherapist who can help you manage and overcome your condition.

While you are asleep, your immune system goes to work repairing tissues and combatting illness. You need consistent, quality sleep to stay physically and emotionally healthy. The relationship between sleep and immunity is well documented. Several studies also show that people with certain physical illnesses are more likely to experience nightmares and vivid dreams. The researchers looked for an overlap between their nightmares, CV medications, anxiety, insomnia, and depression.

Although they didn't find a connection between nightmares and CV medications in this study, the link between depression, anxiety, insomnia, and cardiovascular disease was clear. Some research has also shown that having a sleep disorder may increase your risk of cancer and influence the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

Furthermore, people with cancer are more prone to having nightmares and insomnia as a result of the psychological distress their illness causes. Vivid dreams themselves aren't associated with side effects—that is, until they interfere with your sleep, in which case you may experience the following side effects:. You may also experience symptoms related to the underlying cause of your vivid dreams, whether that is a sleep disorder like sleep apnea, a physical illness like cancer, or a mood disorder like depression.

Getting treatment for the underlying cause should help with your vivid dreams too.