If you have unusual dreams these days, i.e. during the Covid-19 pandemic, then read this!
Self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic also affects our subconscious and thus our dreams, experts say. There's even a blog I Dream of Covid, where you will find a collection of people's dreams from all over the world. While some of them constantly dream about Covid-19, others report completely unexplained and really strange dreams.
Scientists have also decided to look into the world of sleep and dreams in the time of Covid-19. Thus, based on the collected data, they analyzed the dream and expressed their opinion.
Some of them we believe are such dreams a consequence of changing the sleep schedule. Most people dream strange things in the REM stage, and now this stage can be longer and deeper because, for example, we sleep longer. Others attribute vivid dreams emotional and psychological chaos, which humans are currently experiencing.
Social psychologist Dylan Selterman is for a web portal Vox revealed how and to what extent the coronavirus pandemic affects our dreams and sleep.
Stress and the pandemic
Selterman says that experts do not agree on the theory of dreams. We believe they are dreams made up of situations we think about and things we do when we are awake. "If we are under stress because of the pandemic, because of work or because of our family, then it is normal that these topics will also appear in our dreams," says Selterman.
Other scientists believe that the purpose of dreams is yes they prepare us for difficult and challenging situations that will happen when we are awake. Some believe that dreams about our problems can predict our mental health in the future. "We are trying to overcome the situation emotionally and prepare for the future. I'm not at all surprised that so many people are dreaming about the coronavirus." adds Selterman.
Is it true that people dream similar dreams these days?
Our sleeping habits have the biggest impact on how vivid our dreams will be. "It's possible that changing the sleep schedule makes people sleep more, which makes them dream more vividly," says the psychologist.
Alternatively, yes now we think more about our dreams. The more we focus on them while awake, the more they remain in our memory.
However, Shelterman argues that there is no scientific evidence that large numbers of people dream similar dreams, even during times of global trauma.
The benefit of lucid dreaming
Lucid dreams are those where a person he is aware of dreams and can control them. Research by clinical psychologists has shown that people with PTSD and chronic nightmares can benefit from such dreams. "In this way, they overcome negativity and are more fulfilled because they can control the content of their dreams themselves," says Shelterman.
Dream diary
If you yourself are currently having very vivid dreams, you can start a dream journal, whether or not you believe in their greater meaning. "The way we understand dreams can be filtered through our own view of what they mean," concludes Shelterman.
