What's in a Dream?

Not all dreaming is the same. Dreaming runs the gamut of human experience (and sometimes beyond), incorporating a dizzying range of emotions and events, often with elements of the bizarre. Dreams can be funny, frightening, sad and strange. Flying dreams can be euphoric; chasing dreams can be terrifying; forgot-to-study-for-my-exam dreams can be stressful. There are several different types of dream classifications, including nightmares, recurring dreams and lucid dreams. Let's look briefly in detail at some distinct forms of dreaming. Nightmares are broadly defined as frightening dreams that result in some degree of awakening from sleep. Bad dreams are considered a less-severe form of nightmare. Most people experience nightmares throughout life, usually very rarely and, less commonly, with more regularity. A small percentage of the population -- studies suggest around 5 percent -- have nightmares as often as once a week. Nightmares can result from a number of different triggers, including stress, emotional upheaval and traumatic experiences. Nightmares can occur as side effects of some medications, use and abuse of drugs and alcohol, and illness. Nightmares themselves contribute to disrupted sleep not only by waking the sleeper but also because they can lead to fear of falling asleep and returning to a disturbing dream. Nightmares can have other negative sleep-related health consequences. According to research, nightmares may contribute to insomnia, daytime fatigue, depres...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news