Week 8 of Pregnancy: Basic Building Blocks Almost In Place
As your pregnancy progresses, there are some subtle (and not-so-subtle.... read more
Why is this happening?
Like we mentioned earlier, your body is going through many changes during pregnancy, and it affects many different aspects of your mental and physical health. This, according to scientist, is one of the possible reasons this is a regular occurrence with expecting mums. An increase in hormone production is a big cause of this. Your hormones don’t just impact your emotions and anxiety but can also impact the way your brain processes information and emotions, possibly resulting in more vivid and frequent dreams while you are pregnant.
Another cause is because your normal sleep pattern is disrupted. From your child kicking up a fuss, to backaches or just getting up more than usual to pee, will impact REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. Dreams happen during REM sleep and that can affect your dreams, even causing you to remember them being more vivid than usual.
Having nightmares? No, it’s not a bad sign. It just means you’re experience more anxiety or stress than usual which is completely normal – you’re expecting! Don’t add more anxiety to yourself by trying to decipher what your nightmare means.
What can you do about vivid pregnancy dreams?
If your pregnancy dreams are just simply more vivid and frequent, try finding out what could be the cause. If you think it’s because you’re not getting enough sleep, try new sleeping positions or times. This could help you reduce your vivid dreams.
If your pregnancy dreams or nightmares are a bit more stressful and making you feel nervous, you could start a “dream journal”. You could keep this by your bed and jot down your dreams after waking up. This can help you process and ease your anxiety.
However, if your nightmares are consistently too vivid and disturbing and make sleeping too difficult, you should consider talking about them with someone you trust. Your partner, friend or maybe even a therapist. Your mental health is just as important as your physical one to ensure the best for you and your child, so take time to address any fears or doubts you may have on this new journey!