By Woman s Day
| Living Well –
You hate how your mother-in-law meddles in your marriage, so it's no shocker
when you tell her off in your dream-dreams are, after all, your brain's way of
working through unresolved conflicts. But what can explain that
recent string of random nightmares or incredibly vivid visions? "We know a
bit about things that affect dream recall and make for more nightmares,"
says Deirdre Barrett, PhD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at
Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, and author of
The Committee of Sleep.
So here, 11 surprising things that can influence what pops up in your dreams or
how likely you are to remember them.
Photo by iStock.
Smells
Do sweet smells lead to sweet dreams? One small study found that sniffing
flowers at a particular point in the sleep cycle led to more positive dreams,
while a sulfur odor was linked to negative ones. Though researchers say you
can't replicate those results in your bedroom (by the time you're dreaming,
that lilac blossom scent you spritzed pre-bedtime can't stimulate you), there's
a possibility that a sudden aroma-bacon wafting up from the kitchen, for
example-could infiltrate your dream. "Dreams are sleep protective,"
says J. Catesby Ware, PhD, Chief of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Eastern
Virginia Medical School, in Norfolk, VA. "So instead of waking up, you
incorporate those stimuli into your dream."
Sounds
You wake up after dreaming you're stuck in a burning building-and realize
that the fire alarm you heard was actually your alarm clock. What's with that?
There's a narrow window for sounds to get through to your brain during sleep,
says Dr. Barrett: "They need to be low enough that they don't wake you but
high enough that you perceive them." So let a recording of ocean waves
play softly throughout the night. You might recall a dream about a beach
vacation or wake up feeling relaxed.
Spicy Food
It's simple: Anything that could cause indigestion-cheese, spicy foods, a
big meal-makes you stir more, meaning you have a better shot of remembering
that nightmare. "The rule of thumb is that you need to wake up within five
minutes of having a dream to recall it," says Dr. Ware. For rest that's
more peaceful all around, eat dinner at least two hours before bedtime, and
choose nighttime snacks wisely (read: no Haagen-Dazs if you're lactose
intolerant). Since caffeine can have the same disruptive effect, it's best to
cut off your coffee intake post-2 p.m. too.
Sleeping on Your Stomach
Are you prone to racy dreams? Well, sleeping in the prone position (that is, on
your stomach) might have something to do with it. A new study published in the
Journal
Dreaming found that lying on your belly in bed was linked to
blush-worthy dream themes, like having sex with a celebrity or being tied up.
Researchers hypothesize that it might have to do with your breathing patterns
in this position. To stop the sexy thoughts-or keep 'em coming-adjust your
sleep posture accordingly.
Vitamin B6
While there's no research on whether or not taking B6 leads to more lucid
dreams, the Internet is awash with anecdotal reports that it does-which,
according to Dr. Barrett, makes good biological sense. "B6 is the
co-factor our body uses to turn some of the amino acids we eat into the
neurotransmitters that affect our dreaming," she says. To stop the vivid
dreams, stop the supplements. But if you're looking to encourage dreaming, stay
within the recommended amount of B6 daily-too much could cause nerve damage or
numbness over time.
Antidepressants
Yes, those pills that are supposed to calm you down-especially the SSRI
(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) class of antidepressants, like Prozac,
Paxil and Zoloft-might be upping your nightmares. "They've been shown to
make REM bursts more intense in the people who take them," says Dr.
Barrett, referring to rapid-eye movement sleep, the stage during which we
dream. "And most of those people seem to have more nightmares as a side
effect." If you're feeling tormented, talk to your doctor about switching
to a similar drug. While all SSRIs can cause nightmares, Dr. Barrett says each
variation tends to affect each person's brain differently.
Quitting Smoking
Vivid dreams have been shown to be a symptom of kicking the habit, and in
one study, 63% of smokers still dreamed about smoking a year later. Granted,
you may just be working through your main issue at the moment (the fact that
you
really want a cigarette), but nicotine withdrawal also enhances
brain activity in a way that can make you dream more
, says Patrick
McNamara, PhD, Director of the Evolutionary Neurobehavior Laboratory at the
Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. His advice: Stick it out.
Those neurons will eventually calm down again-and your lungs will be much
healthier.
Black-and-White TV
File under quirky but possibly true: If you grew up before color TV sets
were commonplace, you might be more likely to recall your dreams in grayscale
rather than color, according to one study by a British researcher. The sweet
spot for being exposed to black-and-white media might be between about three
and 10 years old (when most people start remembering their dreams), so there's
not much you can do to change your dream palette now. Still, it's interesting
to think about if you grew up on a steady diet of classic movies or
I Love
Lucy…
Going to Bed Hungry
You're struggling to keep yourself on that diet-and you might be having the
dreams to prove it. Low blood sugar can rouse you from sleep, meaning you may
remember more dreams and those dreams may star a juicy burger or a piping-hot
piece of pizza. In fact, Dr. Ware's anorexic patients almost always dreamed
about food in one sleep study. Luckily, a small nighttime snack of a banana and
a glass of skim milk isn't just filling, healthy and waistline-friendly-it also
contains tryptophan (the amino acid in turkey that makes people drowsy after
Thanksgiving dinner), which can help you sleep more soundly.
Scary Movies Before Bed
You've been hearing it since you were a kid: Spooky movies cause spooky
nightmares. But is there any truth to that mom-knows-best scare tactic? Dr.
Barrett says the last thing you do before bed matters, period. "The music
you're listening to, the book you're reading, the TV show you're watching, the
conversation you're having with your spouse-all those things are likely to be
influencing," she says. So if you suffer from nightmares and happen to
catch a horror flick, take a few minutes to reprogram your brain with happy
thoughts-like vacation memories or favorite moments with your kids-before
settling down to sleep.
Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period
Your baby's lost, so you search for her wildly, ripping at your bed sheets
or even grabbing your husband for help. Is this nightmare typical pregnant
woman/new mom anxiety? According to research, yes. Studies have found that it's
common to have extremely vivid dreams during pregnancy and your baby's infancy,
likely due to a mix of emotions, lack of sleep and fluctuating hormone levels.
Just like so many things that happen to our bodies around pregnancy and
childbirth, there's not much you can do to control them. But these dreams are a
sign that your brain is helping you adapt to this huge life change-let that
serve as a source of comfort.
Original article appeared on WomansDay.com.
