Vivid dreams are dreams that feel very real and can be recalled very clearly when you wake up. They are often vibrant, realistic, and sometimes intense dreams that can stay with someone long after they wake up. Vivid dreams can be pleasurable and satisfying, such as when they fulfill a desire or replay a treasured experience, but they can also be unsettling in their strangeness or in the emotions they involve. Some common causes of vivid dreams include:
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Fragmented sleep: Since vivid dreams tend to occur during REM sleep, waking up during or right after REM sleep increases the chances that you will remember your dream more vividly.
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Sleep deprivation: A study found that participants deprived of REM sleep one night experienced longer periods of REM sleep and increased dream intensity the following night.
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Medication: Certain drugs can affect the vividness of dreams. For example, one study suggested that SSRIs (a category of antidepressant) decreased how often patients remembered their dreams but increased the vividness of dreams when they were recalled. Other medications may cause nightmares, such as beta-blockers (a treatment for high blood pressure) and medications for Parkinson’s disease.
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Sleep Disorders: This includes narcolepsy, which is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness. Individuals with narcolepsy frequently experience vivid, bizarre dreams.
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Stress or anxiety: Difficulties real and imagined can cause a person to experience stress and anxiety in their daily life. Problems with friends, family, school, or work can trigger intense dreams as can big events like getting married or buying a house. Stressed caused by traumatic events, such as a death of a loved one, sexual abuse, or a car accident can also cause vivid dreams. Anxiety, in particular, is associated with an increased risk of disturbing and intense nightmares.
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Changes to your sleep schedule: Changes to your sleep schedule, such as flying overseas (and going to sleep at a different time) or getting less sleep than usual, can also increase the risk of vivid dreams.
Dreams can offer a window into the conscious mind, subconscious mind, or even our physical health. Several themes are most common to all people who dream vividly. Universal storylines include falling, flying, being chased or attacked, an erotic experience, the death of a loved one, and school-related events like failing a test.
