There is also a strong association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the prevalence of nightmares. REM or dream sleep is believed to be particularly important in the processing of emotions.' For example, higher levels of stress can cause an increase in REM sleep, which may lead to more vivid dreams. 'We form memories, process experiences, as well as feelings when we sleep. 'There is evidence that dreams are the mind's form of self-therapy,' says Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. 'If you are obsessively watching the news or scrolling through social media about the coronavirus close to bedtime, you may be more likely to have dreams related to the content of what you were looking at or the emotions you felt when doing these activities,' Stahl says.

Specifically, Stahl says that if you are focused on one topic just before bedtime, there's a higher likelihood that it will manifest in your dream. Research suggests that dreaming plays a role in processing information you've taken in during the day, consolidating memories and sorting new knowledge. The purpose of dreams is still a bit of a mystery to the scientific community, though there is some evidence as to why you may be having especially weird or vivid dreams: 'Dreams during REM sleep are often bizarre, vivid, or whimsical, and are often tied to emotions,' says Stephanie Stahl, MD, a sleep medicine physician at Indiana University Health. Most of your dreaming will occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which occurs about 90 minutes after you fall asleep.

Our bodies cycle through different stages of sleep each night.

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