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lon lon
 
M$3 July 16, 2009 05:42 PM

Why are my dreams stranger when I'm sick?

Have a really bad chest cold right now, and last night I had some really peculiar, particularly vivid dreams. I usually don't remember many details about my dreams, but these are crystal clear...and very odd.

This seems to happen to me whenever I'm not feeling well...Is this just me, or do other people experience it, too? Why does this happen?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5tF_-AkU6U
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nushka nushka
 
 July 16, 2009 07:06 PM
It isn't only body temperature that may affect your dreams. If you have a cold and you cannot breath adequately, the lack of oxygen will disturb your sleep.
We have discussed this subject in previous Mahalo questions and it all points at the fact that sleep disturbances in general can cause these weird dreams.

Journal: Percept Mot Skills. 2008 Jun;106(3):690-2.Links
Title Snoring, breathing pauses, and nightmares.
Author Schredl M.
Institute: Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany.

"Breathing pauses, but not snoring, were associated with heightened nightmare frequency. Whereas the hypothesis that shortage of oxygen directly causes nightmares is not supported by the literature, novel internal stimuli might affect dream content."
Source(s):
www.pubmed.com

Asker's Rating:
• You know, I think this might be it. I'm coughing a lot, and probably not getting enough oxygen, especially when I sleep. I wasn't having NIGHTMARES, particularly...but weird, and somewhat disturbing, dreams that I can clearly, vividly recall upon waking, which is strange for me.

Thanks for the great answer!


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snowplusbr... snowplusbr...
 
July 16, 2009 05:52 PM
It is normal, very strong dreams during REM sleep are caused by the higher blood/body temperatures that your body experiences while sick. This affects numerous parts of the brain that trigger imagination, fantasy, and other abstract processes.

The most common effect of these overwhelming impulses from heightened body temperature are odd, unexplainable dreams, or nightmares. This is a sign that your mental health is very normal and reacting exactly as it should to your physical state and wellbeing.

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nickunders... nickunders...
 
July 16, 2009 06:14 PM
Unfortunately I cannot tell you why but you asked if this happens to others and therefore yes, my dreams are more vivid when I am sick. Thank you snowplusbrd for your answer.

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robbrown robbrown
 
July 16, 2009 06:14 PM
It's because you're running a fever or because you're sleeping with an extra blanket as a comfort mechanism.

William H. Moorcroft and Paula Belcher studied the physiological effects of dreaming. They concluded that body temperature has a significant impact on dreams.

What's likely happening is that you're running a fever and as a result of this increase and rapid fluctuation in temperature, your sleep is being effected.

So, figure out a way to stay both warm and cool at the same time, and your scary dreams will go away.

An excerpt from their book:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=RMvg6T1ztTQC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=Moorcroft+dreams+temperature&source=bl&ots=ZLOj015lKS&sig=XtxlUAR1hdEY0VAvjT5UJDcMOCg&hl=en&ei=TGtfSt2xB87JlAfjgtieDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1

A paper by a California state student:
http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/students/sleep.htm

Anecdotal information that relates to this:
http://www.lifetoolsforwomen.com/w/better-sleep.htm

A couple of things to talk to your doctor about:
Water consumption. Water is the primary way that our bodies distribute and expel heat when we're sleeping. While you may not feel like it, drinking a good amount of water before bed will help. Personally, I drink pure O.J. when I'm sick to max out on the vitamin c.

Drugs. NyQuil (or similar) does it for me. It knocks me out so that I don't remember my dreams if I have them at all ;)
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philipy philipy
 
July 16, 2009 07:39 PM
"figure out a way to stay both warm and cool at the same time..."

I would be very interested to learn the physics of that. I feel there could be a Nobel Prize in it. :)

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spoon spoon
 
July 16, 2009 07:44 PM
Sounds like you have a new weekend project to figure out @philipy ;)

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rogeniobel... rogeniobel...
 
July 16, 2009 07:52 PM
"figure out a way to stay both warm and cool at the same time"
Wow, I want figure out it!

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sarabond sarabond
 
July 17, 2009 12:03 AM
i wonder if you could control dreaming by such. i am trying to think about when i dream more, during which season. i think i will pay more attention now to that theory! thank you!

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trinifigue... trinifigue...
 
July 16, 2009 09:28 PM
I think that your dream was so vivid, because your subconscious is been affected by your health. People have different experiences and opinions about dreaming. I, personally belive that when something is wrong with your body, your mind behaves diffrently, and this is when you have certain type of dreams .

My dreams are really short. When I am sick, I do not remember my dreams at all.

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krysstel krysstel
 
July 16, 2009 10:02 PM
oh you poor thing! If you don't sleep well, and have constant wake cycles, your REM (rapid eye movement or deep sleep) is affected. Thus, you could end up remembering things better, with those short sleep cycles.

yes I do it once in a while.
Also, events right before you sleep that are disturbing, might keep your mind thinking, and carry through to your dreams!

take care! and sleep well, maybe elevate your chest a little (I know it's icky!) or sleep part sitting up. :)

And if it doesn't go away, you are smart enough to see a doctor so you don't get fluid in your lungs (pneumonia) :)

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alpha1 alpha1
 
July 16, 2009 10:18 PM
When the conscious mind is impaired, the subconscious mind takes over to signal the body for help. In his book, "Water: for Health, for Healing, for Life," Dr. Batmanghelidj describes how a bad dream of being tossed around in a boat, which caused him to feel seasick, woke him in time to purge his stomach and save himself from dying of food poisoning. Much illness is caused by dehydration. Many dreams that occur during illness relate to your need for water.
Source(s):
"Water: for Health, for Healing, for Life," Fereydoon Batmanghelidg, M.D., Warner Books, 2003, pp.68-69


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don5601 don5601
 
July 16, 2009 11:24 PM
I would say if you have fevers when you are sleeping it will make them
feel different . I had one one time . robbrown has a great point he is right

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sunshine09 sunshine09
 
July 17, 2009 12:27 AM
I feel that it is from running a fever. When we are sick and not feeling well, our body temperature changes and this effects our brain as well as several other body parts. I did find this website that I found interesting and thought you might want to check it out. http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/. It explains your dreams in detail what they could possibly mean, types of dreams and dream facts. It also offers a dictionary about dreams as well. Try taking some fever reduction medication prior to going to sleep this might help you out.
Source(s):
http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/


Tags: being, and, sick, dreams, having

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linkpravee... linkpravee...
 
July 17, 2009 08:14 AM
Dreams have thier meanings and there is lot of science attached to kinds or dreams
and the timing of dreams

I would like to share few URL's which will help you analysie whats happening with you

How dreams Work

http://health.howstuffworks.com/dream.htm

How the brain turns reality into dreams

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077505/

Dream Science

http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/library/idx_science.htm

Dreams Hold The Answers To Health and Sickness

http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_1263.shtml

Google Dreams and Science

http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=dreams+and+science&btnG=Search&meta=&aq=0&oq=dreams+and+sc

Google Dreams Explained

http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=dreams+explained&btnG=Search&meta=&aq=1&oq=dreams+expl

Hopefully that helps.

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