Dark Dreams vs Light Nightmares

Dark

Have you ever stopped and asked the question what is the difference between a bad dream and a nightmare? The answer is probably not. Not because it’s not interesting. Not because you’ve never thought about it.

But because when you see what little difference there is, you’ll see how delicate the boundary is between dreams and nightmares, and how easily it is to discard the darkness of fear when really the shadows hide in the light.

According to Michael J. Breus, the simple difference between a dream and a nightmare, is the intensity. A nightmare categorically should result in one waking up, feeling intense emotions such as fear, anxiety, guilt, confusion and so on. A simple state of mind. That is all that differs between the adventures of dreams and the supposed shadows of nightmares. However, is it accurate to suggest dreams are better than nightmares?

During a nightmare, the brain is in the third stage of your sleep, when REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is at its strongest. This means that your brain is wide awake, with high activity, rapid eye movement and inhibited motor activity. Therefore, because you are feeling emotions such as fear and guilt, your brain is much more likely to remember them. While this may seem undesirable, it is actually a good thing because

“HOWEVER, IS IT ACCURATE TO SUGGEST DREAMS ARE BETTER THAN NIGHTMARES?”

“DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES ARE ONE OF THE MOST FASCINATING AREAS OF SCIENCE”

it means the brain stores that narrative away, and while you may not recognise it now, later it can provide a blueprint to avoid stressful and anxious situations in the future.

The brain takes your abstract fears about the world from the unconscious parts of the brain and turns them into a memory, like a mathematical function. For us, it is much easier to deal with memories than it is vague anxieties, mostly because we think of memories in the past; therefore, something we need not be afraid of. Some researchers even suggest that nightmares and bad dreams are a necessity in order to cope with the world we live in, so we can appreciate that reality is better than fantasy. Furthermore, compared to dreams, nightmares have significant health benefits; due to nightmares occurring during REM, blood flow decreases to the brain in order to redirect the blood to other muscles and respiratory areas to be restored and recovered. Similarly, it has been proven that growth and stress hormones, the immune system, heart and blood pressure are all positively affected. It seems like fear is the best workout you need,

Dreams and nightmares are one of the most fascinating areas of Science, yet also one of the areas with the least scientific understanding. The reason behind them is unknown despite the many theories - the boundaries between them blurred. Yet it is clear to me, that fear presents a choice: reach your limit or wake up.

K Pepper, Lower Sixth