Sleep

NIGHTMARES (CONTINUALLY RECURRING, WHAT DO THEY MEAN ?)

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WE ALL HAVE EPERIENCED THE SCARY FEELINGS INSIDE WHEN WE HAVE  AWOKEN FROM A NIGHTMARE.  NIGHTMARES CAN HAPPEN FROM THE SIMPLEST THINGS.  WE MIGHT HAVE A MIDNIGHT SNACK RAISING OUR LEVELS OF SEROTONIN.  BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS CAN CAUSE A NIGHTMARE.  WE ALL KNOW THE FEAR WHEN WE FIRST WAKE UP FROM A NIGHTMARE.  OFTENTIMES, WE REMEMBER OUR NIGHTMARE AND IT TAKES A BIT TO CALM DOWN FROM ONE.  IMAGINE LIVING WITH NIGHTMARES OFF AND ON FREQUENTLY.  THIS IS HORRIBLE, BUT THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO TO MINIMIZE THESE. 

IF THE CONDITION IS NOT TOO SERIOUS, DEPENDING ON WHAT CAUSES THE NIGHTMARES, SOMETIMES, AN SSRI OR ANTIDEPRESSENT WILL BREAK THE SLEEP CYCLE.  LIGHT SLEEP IS RATED 1 AND 2,  (NON-REM) *MEDIUM SLEEP, 3, 4  IS MODERATE (NON-REM).  IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THIS BECAUSE NIGHTMARES DON’T USUALLY OCCUR UNTIL WE GET TO LEVELS 4 TO 5 (RAPID EYE MOVEMENT OR REM) ON THE SLEEP SCALE.  IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES TAKE PLACE DURING DEEP SLEEPS.. 

EXPERTS ARE STILL HARD AT WORK FIGURING OUT WHY WE DREAM BUT LOGIC TELLS THEM IT COMES FROM EVENTS PLAYED OUT IN CONSCIOUS AWARENESS, BOTH GOOD AND BAD.  ONE THEORY THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTIION WAS THAT WE DREAM ABOUT THE EXPOSURE OF OUR DAY.  ANOTHER THING I DISCOVERED DOING THIS ARTICLE ABOUT DREAMS WAS EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE SOME OF US THAT HAVE NO MEMORY OF OUR DREAMS, WE ALL HAVE THEM.   

THERE ARE ALSO DREAM DISTURBANCES THAT SOME OF US SUFFER FROM.  I WAS SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT SOME PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE, BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER OR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER CAN HAVE NIGHTMARES MORE THAN THREE TIMES PER WEEK.  THE PERSON SUFFERING FROM POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER HAS THE SAME NIGHTMARE OVER AND OVER WITH ONLY A FEW SURFACE FACTS CHANGING DUE TO THE PAST IMPACTING TRAUMATIC EVENT.  THIS IS THE SCARIEST BUT SURPRISINGLY THE EASIEST TYPE OF NIGHTMARE SYNDROME THAT HAS SOME SUCCESSFUL SOLUTIONS. 

THERE IS A SOLUTION DONE IN COUNSELING WHERE THE PERSON SUFFERING FROM THE NIGHTMARE REWRITES THE ENDING OF IT.  THIS  THERAPY IS CALLED “IMAGE REHEARSAL THERAPY” AND IS A FORM OF COGNITIVE THERAPY THAT CAN WORK FOR MANY INDIVIDUALS WHO DON’T HAVE A SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROBLEM, INSTEAD SUFFERING FROM FREQUENT NIGHTMARES BASED ON A PARTICULAR TRAUMA IN THEIR LIFETIME THAT HAS SCARRED THEM EMOTIONALLY.  BASICALLY, THE PREMISE OF THIS TYPE OF THERAPY IS THAT NIGHTMARES ARE LEARNED, THEREFORE THEY CAN BE “UNLEARNED”.  THE ENDING IS REWRITTEN INTO A POSITIVE ENDING AND REPETIVELY WRITTEN, TAUGHT AND REHEARSED OVER AND OVER AGAIN EVENTUALLY ERASING THE ORIGINAL ENDING TO A HORRIBLE DISORDER BASED ON NIGHTMARES MOST SUCCESSFUL IF THEIR PTSD IS BASED ON VIOLENT MEMORIES. 

LET US TAKE A LOOK AT THE DEFINITION OF NIGHTMARES IN THE WEBSTER DICTIONARY. 

WEBSTER DEFINITION OF NIGHTMARES=1. A FRIGHTENING OR UNPLEASANT DREAM.  A PERSON, THING OR SITUATION DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH.  A TERRIFYING OR UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE OR PROSPECT. 

DAILY WISDOM WORD DEFINTION OF NIGHTMARES-ONE WAY THE MIND HANDLES TRAUMA OR UNPLEASANT EVENTS THAT WE DON’T WORK THROUGH IN OUR CONSCIOUS REALM.  NIGHTMARES ARE TERRIFYING AND SCARY. 

I HAD A NIGHTMARE ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO THAT STILL STICKS IN MY MIND.  I LITERALLY WOKE UP HYPERVENTILATING AND SCREAMING.  I COULD NEVER IMAGINE HOW IT WOULD FEEL TO SUFFER FROM HAVING NIGHTMARES SO FREQUENT BASED ON A HORRIIC EXPERIENCE IN LIFE, LEAVING ME TRAUMATIZED.  I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THOSE SUFFERING OUT THERE FROM RECURRANT NIGHTMARES TO BE AWARE OF DESENSITATION AND EXPOSURE THERAPY THAT IS  ALSO SUCCESSUL IN STOPPING THIS SYNDROME WHICH DOES SEEM TO AFFECT VARIOUS ASPECTS OF LIFE WHEN AWAKE. 

IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW SUFFERS FROM RECURRANT NIGHTMARES, REACH OUT.   THE THERAPY AND HELP IS THERE AND YOU CAN ONCE AGAIN FIND PEACE WHEN SLEEPING AND LEAD A HEALTHY, NORMAL LIFESTYLE.  SAMANTHA           

DAILY WISDOM WORDS IS STARTING ITS FIRST PODCAST.  THIS PODCAST WILL BE UNLIKE ANY OTHER DUE TO THE WIDE RANG OF TOPICS IT WILL COVEER.  RATHER THAN BE ABOUT ONE PARTICULAR TOPIC, LIKE HOW TO WRITE POETRY AND THOUGHTS FROM OTHER AUTHORS WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL, WE WILL DEAL WITH A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS, GIVING YOU FRESH IDEAS AND AWESOME OVERALL MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH.  JOIN OUR WRITERS COMMUNITY NOW!  LAST DAYS-$10 ONE TIME FEE TO JOIN FOR A LIFETIME.  VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO FIND OUT ABOUT JOINING AND OUR LATEST WRITING CONTEST!  THANK YOU….

 

 

MINDFULNESS (REVISED)

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“Wherever you are, be there totally.”
-Eckhart Tolle

In this day and age, there’s a myriad of articles, tips, advice to focus on our mental state of mind in order to have more control, if not completely conquer. I myself have written countless posts on this topic for this site as well.

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Dreaming While We Sleep

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“Dreams don’t come true, they ARE true.”
-Author Tim Robbins

Have you ever had a dream while sleeping that replayed itself in reality later?

I have. Mind you, I’m not suggesting that I can see the future or have any kind of special telekinesis power to connect to another realm.

What has happened to me however, is that I’ve had a couple of scenarios in my dreams about something relatively minor that played themselves out in reality exactly the way they did in the dreams.

Was it a miracle? Am I gifted?

According to several psychologists as well as certified sleep experts, no. Both have argued that dreams we see while sleeping are alternate forms of intuitions we have all along but we’re too distracted to feel right away.

But because our brain activity is at it’s lowest while sleeping, it’s easier for the subconscious thoughts to come forward in a more clear manner. That’s why our dreams feel so real as we see and experience them.

Behavior specialist Gregg Levoy suggests that if you interpret them accurately, paying attention to your dreams can help you go a long way in fulfilling your ambitions.

The conflict arises when one wonders, what exactly qualifies as an accurate interpretation? After all, some dreams can be so weird and vague that we’re left with nothing but bemusement.

Some sleep experts say that the best thing to do is to look at the big picture of the dream and not pay heed to smaller things. Think about how the dream made you feel overall. Try to pay more attention to the metaphors more than anything else.

Some examples of this were posted in an article on psychologytoday.com:

  • If you’re on the fence about an important decision, you may dream about missing a flight or something else that’s timely, indicating that don’t think too much longer.
  • You might be doubting your abilities about something and have a dream in which you’re flying, indicating that nothing is impossible for you.
  • If you’re constantly around negative company, you might dream of being on an island, indicating to be alone for a while.

However literal or metaphoric your dreams may be, one thing is always unanimously agreed upon by those who have some degree of expertise on the subject: don’t ignore them.

Your dreams could be gateways to infinite possibilities if you take just a little time to remember them and analyse them.

Do you take your dreams at night seriously? Have you ever found one to come true? Share your thoughts & experiences by commenting below.

The Importance of Breathers

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“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…including you.”
-Anne Lamott

How important is taking a breather no matter what you’re doing?

In my opinion, it’s perhaps the most pivotal thing you can do when doing something difficult.

You not only get some physical rest but mental rest as well.

Very often, I think people tend to forget that the mind works just like a muscle. If you train it, excercise it and nourish it, it’ll grow exponentially.

But like with any other excercise routine, it needs time to break down and grow back stronger.

There are several other benefits to resting. There have been several documented examples of how people agonized over an idea for something only to have a clear answer after a good night’s sleep. That’s happened to me many times when I’m thinking about what topic to write about for this site.

When we sleep, our minds as well as our brains produce the lowest neurological activity which is why it’s so easy to drift in and out of dreams.

In essence, we take neurological vacations. It’s not too different from physically going on a vacation and coming back recharged.

Now imagine if those vacations could be more frequent and at will. Possibilities are endless.

Scientists have also argued that we’re more likely to have a “eureka” moment when we’re actually NOT thinking about the task at hand.

Similar to the example about sleep, there have also been instances when people try to come up with ideas only to give up and move on to another task out of frustration. A little while later, the idea will suddenly strike, seemingly out of nowhere.

But it’s not really “nowhere,” it’s actually stemming from some much needed rest.

At this point, let me clear and point out that there’s a significant difference between taking a breather and being outright lazy.

When you’re lazy, you sweep the dirt under the rug so you don’t see it. When you’re just taking a break, you leave it there with a sincere intention to get back to it.

How do you feel about taking breathers? Are they important to you? Do you function better or worse with them? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.