We've probably all had that dream about showing up for a class decades after we're out of school, unaware that there's an exam. Or the one about losing control of a car, or being chased by scary people. You might wake up with a start, heart racing, brow moist, wondering. What was that about?! Sometimes you can go back to sleep; at other times, the adrenaline makes it nearly impossible.
Anxiety-related dreams are common and often include themes of being humiliated, threatened or attacked by someone or something; getting lost, sick or stuck in a bad situation; and being chased or involved in some kind of accident or disaster. They're not generally literal representations of our lives, yet "dreams can be a fairly broad but accurate barometer of our waking levels of well-being," says Antonio Zadra, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Montreal and a senior researcher at the Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine. "Our brains take emotionally salient events from our waking lives and weave them into a dream narrative" that may reflect what we're stressed or concerned about, he says.
And since we're living in anxious times, it's no surprise that there's been a surge in strange dreams and nightmares. In fact, 2022 research in the journal Nature and Science of Sleep reported that people who were personally affected in some way by COVID-19 had more bad dreams at night-and if they themselves had been sick, the more severe their disease, the more nightmares they had. "Given that we have more anxious thoughts during times of stress, it's hardly a shock that we have more anxiety dreams and nightmares," says Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D., a dream researcher at Harvard Medical School. In fact, some experts believe dreams play a role in emotional regulation-that their narratives serve as a form of offline processing of daytime drama.
This story is from the March 2023 edition of Good House Keeping - US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2023 edition of Good House Keeping - US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Stress-Busting Hack That's Right Under Your Nose- Breathwork is more than the wellness trend du jour- it's a science-backed route to relief from multiple modern ailments.
“OK, OK, just take a breath.” If that’s what a friend advises after you panic-share about a major-anxiety-inducing situation — your teen taking his maiden solo voyage behind the wheel, work instability, another high-stakes world crisis dinging your phone every few minutes — it’s probably because they hate seeing you so on edge. But also, your friend is offering an effective means of slowing your spin. “The way you breathe affects anxiety, and anxiety affects how you breathe,” says James Nestor, author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. “It’s a two-way street, and while anxiety isn’t a conscious choice, our breathing is.”
Do Men Really Not See The Mess? - The answer might surprise you. Journalist and author Gemma Hartley pulls back the curtain to reveal the invisible forces that drive this all-too-common cause of marital strife.
There was a time, earlier in my marriage, when every morning as I walked into the kitchen I braced myself for the rage and resentment that would well up in me.Cupboards left open. Dirty dishes in the sink. Coffee cups strewn around the house. And usually a pair of slippers or shoes, with inside-out socks, on the floor somewhere nearby. Even when I had left the house spotless the night before, I’d wake to a scene of disarray — the mess my husband had left behind on his way out the door for work.I didn’t know which scenario seemed worse, my husband’s consciously expecting me to clean up these messes or his truly not noticing them at all. I found myself silently tallying these small resentments, furious and flummoxed in turn that he seemed oblivious to things that needed to be tidied up around the house. It seemed as if he was always waiting for me to tell him what had to be done, as if he was incapable of noticing the mess himself even when he was creating it.
BLISTERED BITES
Shishitos are delicious all yearand creepy on Halloween!
DRINK if you DARE
Welcome, vampires, skeletons and zombies: This spiritforward duo may be strong enough to wake the dead.
Have a scary-good HALLOWEN
The spookiest day of the year calls for tricks and treats!
More Than a Walk in the Park
Agility training can be a fun and engaging way to get moving and bond with your pet.
Get More From Your Garage
Expert advice on three common conversions
The Mental Health Benefits of CATS
How our feline friends keep our minds purring
At-Home Devices
In this burgeoning category of DIY skin tools, technologies like microcurrent (low-level electrical current), radiofrequency (lowfrequency electromagnetic waves), lasers (pulsating light) and LED light aim to stimulate muscles or collagen production to firm and tighten.
Can Anything Really Firm Your Face?
Countless complexion brands tout skin-tightening solutions like firming skincare products, at-home devices and professional treatments. Here, our experts get real about whether these techniques can actually help skin bounce back once it starts to go lax.
