How do dreams affect your mood

Your dreams may be trying to tell you something. If you suspect that you or a loved one is struggling with depression, anxiety, or another mental illness, there is hope. At Banyan Mental Health, we want to help. Sources: Clinical-Depression. Call us today at so that you can finally wake up from this nightmare and move forward.

After overcoming her own struggles with addiction, she began working in the treatment field in A part of the Banyan team since , Alyssa brings over 5 years of experience in the addiction treatment field. Related posts. Dating Someone with Bipolar Disorder Read more. Comments are closed. According to Cartwright's theory, "dreaming diffuses the emotional charge of the event and so prepares the sleeper to wake ready to see things in a more positive light.

That theory isn't universally accepted, however — according to Scientific American , one Australian study into high school students concluded that " not only did nightmares not stave off anxiety , but people who reported being distressed about their dreams were even more likely to suffer from general anxiety than those who experienced an upsetting event such as the divorce of their parents.

If your dreams are negatively impacting your daily life, there's no need to minimise or dismiss your distress. The NHS recommends speaking to your GP , who might look into whether a health condition is causing your nightmares: obstructive sleep apnoea, depression, or migraines, for example. Studies have shown in depth research regarding the causes and effects of our dreams. Everyone at some point in their life has tried to experience lucid dreaming, or the dreaming in which you are consciously aware that you are in a dreaming state.

Dreams have fascinated people since the beginning of time and the more scientists study dreams, the more information we are able to find out about ourselves and our brains. Scientists state that dreams can affect the behavior and mood for the following day and studies are now showing the dreams can even affect the relationships between partners. A study done by researchers at the University of Maryland has provided evidence showing the connection between dreams and the behavior of the relationships.

The relationships in which one of the members dreamed about cheating and lying between the couple had more arguments and fights. It seems possible that the participants of the study could have come across a multitude of confounding variables.

For example the participants knowledge of the study itself cause the data to alter, resulting in an inconclusive study. Dreams can have imagery that is positive, negative, or outright confusing, likely reflecting a period of immense imagination during sleep.

Experts continue to debate about why we dream , 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.

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 considered a nightmare. 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. 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 insomnia and sleep deprivation.

People should talk with their doctor 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. Knowing the exact impact of dreams on daily life remains subject to further research, but there are a number of ways that dreams may influence our waking hours:.

If you have frequent bad dreams, start by talking with your doctor who can help determine if you have nightmare disorder. Improving habits and sleep hygiene can help reduce bad dreams. Some specific tips include:. Many factors influence dreaming, but it is not clearly established that sleeping position is one of those factors.

One study found that people who sleep on their left side were more likely to have nightmares , and another found that vivid dreams, including some nightmares and erotic dreams, were more common in stomach sleepers. 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. Overall, more robust research is needed to establish a link between sleeping position and nightmares.

Danielle writes in-depth articles about sleep solutions and holds a psychology degree from the University of British Columbia.

Wright, M. She has a decade of experience in the study of disease.