Dreams that are intense are often called vivid dreams. There is a lot that goes on when you have vivid dreams.
What is a Vivid Dream?
Psychologists often classify a vivid dream as a dream that is very intense and seems to be real. These dreams often cause people to have an emotional feeling attached to the dream.
A vivid dream will be one that has a lot of colors and details. It will often cause there to be strong emotions that seem real. Sometimes vivid dreams are good dreams, but other times vivid dreams can be nightmares. People that lucid dream will also experience vivid dreaming.
How Do Vivid Dreams Happen?
No one is quite sure what causes vivid dreams. Some people will just have these kinds of dreams and it can be someone that has always had strong dreams even from childhood. These people will often have even more vivid dreams as adults.
Here are some reasons that you might have vivid dreams:
- Intensity of Life
People that are dealing with a lot in their life will often have dreams that are more vivid than others. This can be something that is emotional, and the dream can be based on that.
- Substances
There are different medications and other substances that can affect the sleep and dreaming. Alcohol is one substance that causes there to be a suppression of the REM cycle where dreams normally happen.
When you don’t use a substance for a while, you might see that your dreams come back even more powerful than before. This will eventually level out and leave you having normal dreams.
This can happen to people that take certain medications, as well, because as the person adjusts to the medication and their body, the dreams might get less or even more intense.
- You Are Sensitive
People that are sensitive often have more vivid dreams. Those that sleep light also might have dream that are more intense. Those that have creative gifts and are emotional will likely be able to recall their dreams better, making some of the dreams more intense.
The closer you are to your subconscious mind, the more you will be able to remember your dreams and you will see that they play a huge role in your life.
Remembering Dreams
Remembering your dream doesn’t happen to everyone and sometimes people dream, and they don’t remember them. Remembering a dream can be more like a memory but when you think of vivid dreams, the strength of the dream is more powerful. Some people will have multiple dreams a night and they might not remember all of them or any of them.
The dreams that people have can be vivid and if the dreamer remembers them, why was the dream so important that it caused you to remember it? Remembering your dream is a good way to recall things.
Are Vivid Dreams Good or Bad?
Some vivid dreams are good and other dreams are bad. Nightmares, as mentioned above, can be very vivid and they can be scary. These kinds of dreams can cause people to be more emotional. People that lucid dream will also be able to use their dreaming skills to remember their dreams.
Whenever you have a nightmare or a bad dream, you might get upset and this is a dream that you will likely remember, and it will be vivid. If you have nightmares or dreams that upset you, pay attention to them and find out why you keep having these dreams. Find out what you are trying to tell your conscious mind.
Intense dreams can be a dream that your mind is trying to tell your body such as a relationship struggle you are going through or a goal that you haven’t been able to reach. Pay attention to things going on in your life when you think about your dreams.
How to Stop Dreams
Having intense dreams all the time can be tiring and you might wonder how to calm this down. You need to notice if you have changed your diet or if you are on any substances that might affect your sleep. If you have dreams that keep upsetting you over and over again, talk to someone that is a professional. Here are some other things to try:
Set a Sleep Routine
You need to make sure that you calm down before you go to bed. Try to set a time each night to go to bed and do this as a schedule. Track the amount of sleep that you get.
Also, notice if you are eating too late or how hot or cold the room is. All of these things can influence how you dream. People that have a big meal before they go to sleep might find that they have strange dreams.
You an also use sleep support medication or talk to your doctor if your sleep is lacking and see if they can help you.
Vivid Nightmares
If you keep having vivid nightmares, try to think of the dream before you go to bed and let it end in your mind in a certain way. This is a way that your dream will probably not show back up.
Understand the Meaning
If you keep having the same dream over and over, chances are that you might need to know something. Try to figure out what the dream means. The emotions that you have can affect your dream and if you are going through things in your life that are causing you to be emotional or stressed, this might be the reason for the powerful dreams.
Notice the dream and see if it makes sense to the situations that you are dealing with. You might not be able to change what you are going through in your life, but you can figure out how to come to terms with your emotions.
Journal
Journal your dreams and be as detailed as you can when you write them down. Find out what your dreams mean and what they are trying to tell you.
Try Lucid Dreaming
If you are someone that is interested in lucid dreaming, try to practice being more aware while you are sleeping. Doing this can open up your mind and allow you to be able to be more aware of your dream state and even control your dreams. Dreaming might make you think you are awake but if strange things happen, you will know you are dreaming.
Final Thoughts
Vivid dreams more than likely have a message that they are trying to give you. Figure out if the message is something good or bad. Take time to understand yourself and what your dreams mean to you. This can help you to connect with who you are and to live your best life.