Scientists believe that our dreams are sometimes linked to our health ailments.
Women seem to remember their dreams much more frequently than men, possibly because they tend to be lighter sleepers.
The brain starts to create dreams when we switch into a particular type of ‘dreaming sleep’ called rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep.
We are thought to have between four and six dreams a night but only remember two or three a week.
The reason for this is that we only remember a dream if we wake up during it, if we continue to sleep that we forget entirely about that specific dream.
Nightmares may be caused by certain medications such as beta blockers. Experts believe they indirectly alter the balance of certain brain chemicals, which then triggers nightmares.
Alcohol can cause us to have crazy and bizarre dreams
More dreams than usual are linked to a warm room and hormones can also affect your dreams.
“Overheating or feeling chilly at night can lead to us having more dreams”, says Professor Jim Horne a sleep expert from Loughborough University.
“The more disturbed your sleep – perhaps by being too hot or too cold – the more likely you are to wake during dreaming sleep, which means you’ll remember your dreams,” he adds.
Experts recommend having your bedroom at around 18c. For the same reason, the fluctuation in a woman’s hormones can also cause her to have more dreams.
“Some women say that they have more dreams around the time of their period,” says Professor Horne. “This could be because some women get very uncomfortable, with bloating or cramps, causing them to wake up more.”
Insomnia and pain can also cause people to wake up repeatedly during the night, meaning they remember more of their dreams.
Crazy dreams can be the result of drinking alcohol according to President Horne.
“If people have a skinful, they can find themselves having powerful, vivid dreams towards the end of the night. This is because the effects of alcohol seem to wear off towards morning, which may affect brain chemicals in some way and cause strange dreams.”
“Being under the weather can also cause a surreal half-sleep, half-awake state, triggering bizarre dreams”, says Dr Patrick McNamara, a neurologist from Boston University Medical School.
When our body comes under attack from a bug, our immune system needs to use all its power to fight it. Non dreaming sleep can then help boost our defences.
