A group of researchers revealed in their study that bad dreams are actually our brain’s way of processing emotions. They added that regulating these emotions can be the major function of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep – the stage wherein most dreams happen to people.
Drs. Tore Nielsen and Ross Levin wrote in the journal Current Directions in Physical Science that the so-called “nightmares” happen when regulating the emotions goes wrong thus sometimes waking us up in the middle of the night. Nightmares are those bad dreams that consist of frightening images that usually startles us out of sleep.
The researchers added in the study of dreams that it is normal for everyone to have bad dreams, considering the fact that most dreams are not really positive ones. Dr. Levin said that bad dreams are usually the “default dream” because people are in some way dealing with negative emotions throughout the day.
He added that there are parts of our past memories that become part of our dream and can be exaggerated to look even more negative and frightening.
The researchers stated that about 85 percent of adults experience at least one nightmare per year. This usually happens when the individual undergoes moments of high stress.
The doctors concluded that results from study of dreams resulted to more effective solutions and therapies.
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