Pregnancy dreams can range from very strange to super stressful. They can also hold clues to how you are feeling about your upcoming birth and impending parenthood, if you take the opportunity to try to understand them.
What's causing the strange dreams that I keep having?
During pregnancy, dreams are often more bizarre than usual. Many women say they dream of
sex, talking animals or huge, towering buildings.
These
vivid dreams reflect your thoughts and feelings about being pregnant, which can change from day to day. Your emotions may range from
anxiety to excitement about the changes in your body and your life. Dreaming is probably a way of filing away all the stimulating experiences and thoughts of your day.
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Usually, you'll cycle through levels of sleep. You'll drift from drowsiness down through light sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is when you do your dreaming, into deep sleep. Then you'll come back up again through REM sleep and light sleep, before going down again.
But during pregnancy there's likely to be something every night that brings you to the surface and wakes you. Whether it's
leg cramps,
needing the bathroom or just trying to get
comfortable (Murray and Hassall 2009), something's likely to keep you from your deepest slumber.
Having your sleep interrupted makes it more likely you'll remember the dreams you have during REM sleep. We tend only to remember our dreams when we're woken during them. That's why it seems like you're having more dreams. And because you're remembering them so clearly, they seem particularly vivid.
What can I do about my strange dreams?
Try to enjoy your dreamworld! You could also record your dreams and what you think they mean, in a journal. Share your stories with your partner. Ask them what
impending-parenthood dreams they are having, too.
Some of your dreams may be more frightening than fascinating. You may have nightmares about
the birth and your baby that can seem very real to you. If you are worried, it may help to talk to your doctor or midwife about your dreams. They'll be able to reassure you, and it will help to discuss your feelings.
Putting feelings into words shuts down our fight and flight response. It allows us to be less upset over something that stresses us out, and to think more clearly and rationally about it.
Get curious about your dreams. Explore what they mean and have fun trying to make sense of them or finding meaning.
Interested in finding out more about the possible interpretations of your dreams? Take a look at our articles about:
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