- Factors that affect sleep
- 1-Position
- 2-Thoughts (especially the ones we try to avoid)
- 3-Stop smoking
- 4-Go to bed hungry
- 5-Smells
- 6-Sounds
- 7-Videogames
- 8-Antidepressants
- 9-Spicy food
- 10-Horror Movies
Sleep is an essential element in our lives, it allows us to recharge our energy and function properly. The number of complaints about lack of sleep, nightmares or lack of energy upon waking seems to be growing and the reasons are varied. Research has confirmed some of these reasons while rejecting others.
Because you need 5 to 8 hours of sleep to feel recharged, it is crucial to know some of the elements that affect you to change some and improve the sleep experience.
Factors that affect sleep
1-Position
Dr. Calvin Kai-Ching Yu conducted a study with 670 participants and found that sleeping on the stomach can increase the likelihood of violent and sexual dreams. Their explanations suggest that by sleeping on our stomach we put more pressure on our face and this leads to a feeling of arousal and flushing.
Another study showed that the rate of nightmares was significantly higher in people who slept to the left (40.9%) than in those who slept to the right (14.6%).
2-Thoughts (especially the ones we try to avoid)
They don't have to be recent thoughts. You can dream about something that crossed your mind in a split second days, months or even years ago. Research shows that trying to suppress thoughts makes them more persistent.
3-Stop smoking
Quitting a habit could result in a vivid dream. Dr. Patrick McNamara conducted a study in which he found that 63% of smokers still dream about smoking one year after quitting.
4-Go to bed hungry
A low blood sugar level could be the cause of waking more at night, which means you 'd remember more than I dreamed. Also, it would be normal for some of those dreams to include meals.
5-Smells
A small study showed that the effect of pleasant and unpleasant smells in dreams. While it seemed that the smells were not registered in the dreams, the 15 participants had a pleasant dream when they smelled something they liked and unpleasant dreams when they smelled rotten eggs.
6-Sounds
Have you ever heard your alarm clock in a dream? Unlike smells, sounds enter our dreams and alter their course.
7-Videogames
Dr. Jayne Gackenbach found in research that video games improve control and awareness in dreams.
He suggested that people who play video games have a lot of experience in controlling a virtual environment. Even more than that, dreams could have more intense actions and scenes.
8-Antidepressants
Antidepressants could increase nightmares according to Dr. Barrett. People taking antidepressants have been found to have more intense dreams and some of them include nightmares.
9-Spicy food
Spicy foods or any food that can give more work to the stomach, could lead us to wake up and remember dreams better.
Waking up after a dream is related to a better memory of it. This would explain why people who suffer from indigestion comment that they have more dreams (actually they remember them better).
10-Horror Movies
According to Dr. Barrett, what you do before you go to sleep matters. Music, temperature, state of mind, what you eat, conversations, everything will have an impact on your sleep.