How can people see dreams?
People dream when they sleep. When people are in deep sleep, their eyes move rapidly like when watching a movie. Scientists found that the part of the brain responsible for dreaming is very active during this stage of sleep.
Our brain contains a special pathway to carry dreams from the eyes to our vision centers. This is why we can see our dreams when we sleep. The brain cells that carry dreams to our vision center are very sensitive to light. This is why it is easy to wake up when light shines on your eyes or just before a dream in the middle of the night.
Eighty percent of people dream several times each night, although they do not recall all or even most of these dreams. The average length of a dream is only 2 to 3 seconds long. Dreams may be either remembered or forgotten.
Some people can control their dreams and make them into movies while sleeping. Others talk about their night dreams as soon as they wake up to other people around them or write it down in journals right after waking up from their nap/sleep so they won't forget anything which happened in their dream(s).
Why some people don`t see dreams?
Only half of the people dream every night. The other 50 percent dream only occasionally or not at all. This is because there are differences in what happens inside each person`s brain as he/she sleeps.
Some people may experience very exciting dreams, while others have scary dreams that can wake them up from sleep during a nightmare. People who don't see many dreams may simply forget their dreams upon waking up.
What happens when you have a nightmare?
When people wake up from a very scary dream, they may scream or shout. This is because the part of the brain that controls emotions and memories becomes fully active right after you wake up from a nightmare.
People who experience recurring nightmares often feel frightened in their nightmares even though they are aware that it is just a dream. They may try to run away or hide from scary things in their dreams which causes them to wake up from sleep suddenly.
Sometimes, if someone has been having too many nightmares, they usually know when they are about to have one so they can prepare themselves for it. Also, some people may only remember parts of their nightmare but not all of them because most nightmares do not last very long.
What are the types of nightmares?
There are many different types of nightmares some people can have, but most of them fall into 3 main categories which are bad dreams, stress dreams, and night terrors.
Bad dreams are when you have a dream that is so scary it wakes you up shortly after or before you get to the scary part in your dream. Sometimes the person may wake up remembering only bits and pieces of what they dreamed about which can be very frustrating because they want to remember their entire nightmare.
Stress dreams occur when people experience something stressful during the day that usually affects them later on that night or often even in their next few days of life. Night Terrors happen more commonly in children than adults because their brains are still developing. People who have night terrors often scream and thrash around a lot, sometimes they even jump out of their bed while they are having a night terror.
When people wake up from a night terror it can be very difficult to calm them down because they usually do not remember anything about their dream when they were sleeping.
What do babies dream about?
In scientific terms, a baby's brainwaves during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep are similar to an adult's. However, unlike adults, who dream mainly in pictures and sounds, babies also experience sensations and emotions through their senses while they dream.
All this suggests that while adults may remember their dreams better than infants, young children actually have stronger and more vivid dreams than older children and adults. Also, because of immature language skills and limited experiences and knowledge of the world around them, it is difficult for young children to express what they learn or feel in their dreams.
What are some common sleeping problems with infants?
Some common sleeping problems with infants include:
- Unsettled behavior during sleep such as regular waking up in the night, crying, etc., also known as sleep-onset association disorder (SOAD);
- Unpleasant dreams lead to bad moods upon waking up from sleep;
- Sleepwalking or somnambulism is where a child gets out of bed and walks around while they are still asleep. If your baby is experiencing any of these problems, it might be time for you to have a good chat with their pediatrician to look into the possible causes and treatments for their sleeping difficulties. Soon they can have sweet dreams just like everyone else!
Can babies have nightmares?
Yes, babies can have nightmares too! Many adults think that young children cannot experience bad dreams because they don't know what is scary or stressful in the real world like adults do, however, this is not true at all. Babies can also experience bad dreams which cause them to wake up crying in the middle of the night due to something scary or stressful that happened in their dream.
How do you stop the baby`s nightmares?
There are many ways one can attempt to avoid having bad dreams, stress dreams, or night terrors. Here are some examples:
- Avoid watching scary movies or shows before going to sleep.
- Only watch happy and relaxed TV programs/movies when you want to go to bed.
- Don't think about stressful things during the day that could cause bad dreams, before going to bed at night either.
- Meditation can help people relax which in return will make it harder for them to have a nightmare while they are asleep because their brain won't be active enough to dream one. Meditation is something everyone can do! It takes no money, there is no right or wrong way of meditating, and anyone from any age group can meditate. All you need is a quiet space where you know you won't be interrupted by anything/anyone else around you.
- Make sure you are sleeping in a comfortable bed with good pillows and sheets. This will help you sleep better at night which in return will make it harder for nightmares to occur while you are asleep because when you're experiencing something uncomfortable during your dream it is easier for you to wake up from the dream.
- Your baby`s meals should be healthy and nutritious in order to make your baby's body strong.
- If you think about stressful things during the day it is easier for nightmares to occur when they are asleep because their brain becomes active enough to dream about what they were thinking about earlier in the day. Sometimes people can have a nightmare if they watch scary things on TV before bedtime, but sometimes this does not affect everyone at all days of the week/month/year which is why some people are able to watch horror movies before bedtime while others cannot do that without having a nightmare later that night or even in the next few nights after watching something scary before sleeping.
- You can play calming music with relaxing sounds of nature or waves crashing onto rocks by the ocean to help calm your baby down before bedtime. This can also help them wake up feeling relaxed which lessens the chance of having a nightmare because it is easier for people who are relaxed to have good dreams than bad ones.
- Keeping the room you and/or your baby sleeps in cool (not too hot or cold) will make it harder for nightmares to occur when they are asleep because their body temperature has to be just right in order for them to feel like they're experiencing something scary while they're dreaming.
- Put some lavender essential oil on your child's pillow, around his/her bed, or even on their teddy bear if they don't want you putting oils directly onto their skin. The lavender essential oil will help your child relax which in return will make it harder for nightmares to occur when they are asleep because their brain won't be active enough to dream if they don't have any stress or worries on their mind.
- Rub your baby`s back or chest gently after putting lavender essential oil on them so that the oil spreads evenly over their tiny body. This will also help your baby relax before going to sleep which makes it harder for nightmares to occur while they are asleep due to the fact that their brain wont is active enough to dream about anything stressful.
- If you think about scary things during the day then you can wear a teddy bear necklace/bracelet/anklet made out of stone before bedtime since wearing natural jewelry is a new thing that a lot of people are doing. It is easier for people to have good dreams when they wear natural jewelry because their brain starts thinking about positive things which makes it harder for nightmares to occur.
- Have a set time frame as to how long your baby watches TV or plays on the computer before bedtime every day.
- Make sure that you warm up all of your babies muscles before going to sleep at night by rubbing them gently from head-to-toe for around 10 minutes, this will help your baby relax and fall asleep faster without having a nightmare because their body won't be tense anymore which decreases the chances of a nightmare occurring while they are asleep.
What to do when your baby screams while sleeping?
If your baby is screaming while they are asleep then you should wake them up immediately because no one should be forced to suffer through a nightmare when they're in such a vulnerable state.
If your baby still cannot wake up after you have woken them up then you should pick them up and rock them gently in your arms until they calm down, try not to lose your patience with them because they might have nightmares about that later on when they are awake which will just make things worse.
Can your baby grow over nightmares?
Babies can grow over nightmares if they are not exposed to scary things by the time their brain is old enough for it to dream. Babies' brains are not fully developed yet which is why they cannot understand what dreams are or why they have them.
Babies should try to fall asleep at roughly the same time every day because this will help them know when it's bedtime which ensures that there is no possibility of a nightmare occurring while they are doing their best to sleep since their brain won't be active enough to dream if it's tired.
Should you go with your baby to the specialist?
You should make an appointment with your baby's pediatrician if you suspect that they are having bad dreams every night, the specialist will be able to tell you whether or not your child can have nightmares or not which could potentially help them stop having nightmares because their brain won't associate bedtime with scary things anymore.
The doctor will be able to come up with a solution that will interfere with your baby's sleep cycle so that they no longer have nightmares, this plan can be altered depending on the doctor's suggestions which means you don't have to worry about it not working.
Bottom line
- By using the lavender essential oil and wearing natural jewelry you can make it harder for your baby to wake up in the night screaming because their brain will be relaxed, which decreases the chances of a nightmare occurring.
- By having set bedtime rules you can avoid freak accidents like your baby falling out of bed or getting into something that is dangerous which means that there is no way for them to have nightmares during their sleep cycle.
- Having an appointment with a specialist will ensure that your baby's nightmare problem stops once and for all, they will be able to suggest ways on how you should change your lifestyle so that your child won't continue suffering from bad dreams.