Did you know that on average we dream 3-6 times a night?
Sometimes I swear I didn't dream at all. Other times I remember them but the second I start thinking about it, my mind turns into a sieve and they're gone in a flash. Alot of this actually has to do with our sleep cycle and the stages of sleep.
There are 5 different stages of sleep that we cycle through and stage 5 is party time. Getting to the party is kind of strange though. Basically, what happens is your body and your brain waves completely slow down until your limbs are paralysed and your brain is only producing delta waves…then…boom. Party. Your heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, your eyes are going all over the damn shop. Welcome, my friends to REM. No, it’s not the biggest summer trance festival of the year….but there is a headline act (pun intended) and true you may or may not be able to remember what happened when you wake up.
REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement and is the likely cause of our dreams. This stage can last from a few minutes to thirty minutes in each cycle. When you wake during this stage of the cycle, that’s why you can normally remember it or it seems more fresh.
But why do we dream? Is our subconscious trying to tell us something? Are we trying to work through some issues or a problem that our waking state mind cannot break through? If you’re a fan of old mate Freud…maybe your brain is trying to free you of something you’re suppressing. *Side eyes*.
The other theory out there is that it’s literally just random brain activity aka free style time for your brain after a long day of processing information and working hard for the money.
Scientists are still exploring the exact reasons why we dream but hey, majority of the time they are pretty excellent. It’s unlikely that Ryan Reynolds is going to take me on my own interpretation of “Roman Holiday” next week. So here are the top 5 tips to getting to the REM party:
- Have a consistent sleep schedule
- Limit light exposure. Great excuse to buy a sleep mask! (Check out more thoughts on this here)
- Reduce stimulants i.e. Your mobile phone/scrolling into an instagram black hole before bed (The cat videos will still be there in the morning, promise)
- Tell yourself you’re going to dream..apparently this works. It even has a fancy name: Mnemonic Induction to Lucid Dreaming
- Relax before bed by meditating, burning some essential oils or using one of the Clean Kovrs from our range.
The Clean Kovr uses chamomile, lavender, ylang-ylang and more essential oils widely used to assist a deeper and more restful night’s sleep. (MORE DREAMS GUYS!!)
Dream well, pretties!
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