Dream a little dream

Now that I'm on winter break, I took a jaunt to visit my good friend Sarah in Tucson. Last night I slept on her comfortable pull out couch in her cute as a button a adobe cottage. I began and ended my sleeping experience curled up next to Scout, her supa sweeet bit bull. I am still in my jammies and am full from steel cut oats and nice strong coffee.

Anyway, enough exposition for the time being.

So I awakened this morning to the vision of vivid dreams. Of course, I cannot recall them now, but I bet I will get some flashes of images throughout the day. Or maybe one of Sarah's crazy Phd friends will trigger something with a witticism or two.

I don't remember dreaming most of the quarter. The last two nights my dreams have been all over the place and very colorful. Why is that? Does stress or a busy schedule affect the ability to dream or remember your dreams? I have not done a little edu-me-cation section in a while, so here we go.

Happy relaxing!

The old phrase ‘healthy body healthy mind’ is very true, the state of our health does affect our dreams; if we are unhealthy and run down our dreams may be bleak and full of foreboding, these types of dreams we may simply forget for our own protection and to stop us from feeling too down.

The definition of health is a sense of well-being; which is another way of saying we feel happy with ourselves, when you are happy you are more relaxed and your dreams will reflect this feeling and begin a cycle of happiness and well-being. But all too often we become trapped in a cycle of stress and strain that leaves us functioning below our best and feeling worn out, anxious and unhappy.

For long-term stress relief and a feeling of well-being you need periods of physical relaxation and mental quietude throughout the day.

Relaxing is made up of a few easily learned skills that will help you combat the effects of stress and restore the balance between body and mind.

Though modern life does give us wider scope for our dreams and new horizons to reach for; it also puts enormous pressure on the mind and body.

Some stress is a normal part of life, a protection from danger, and not necessarily a bad thing, positive stress helps us achieve some of those goals on the horizon. But when stress is long-term, causing recurring dreams that leave you feeling un-rested, it can affect you physical, emotionally and spiritually, grinding away at your well-being.

Cause There is a huge spectrum of stressors, from something insignificant like the telephone ringing to something overwhelming like a car crash. Major life events such as moving home, marriage, death; factors in the environment such as flashing light, repetitive noises, overcrowding and pollution; lifestyle, including improper sleep, poor diet and little exercise.

Your own constitution and past experiences can moderate the effects of stress up to a point, but the more stressors there are it becomes less likely that you are able to cope with them all.

Dr. Hans Selye was the pioneer in research into stress in the thirties. He defines stress as the non-specific response of the body to any demands made upon it. Each demand made on the body is unique in that there is a definite response: when we are cold, we shiver; when we are hot we perspire; a great muscular effort increases the demands upon the heart and vascular system. Stress has definite physical effects but it can take you years to notice them. Dr. Selye identified three stages of adaptation in our response to long-term stress.

1. Alarm response –
Exposure to stressors prompts an immediate biochemical reaction known as the ‘fight or flight’ response. Hormones are released into the blood causing the following:

Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Raised blood-sugar and cholesterol levels
Faster breathing and perspiration
Increased muscle tension
Disruption of digestive processes
Suppression of the immune system
Emotional tension

2. Adaptation –
If the cause of the stress it dealt with or removed, normal functions will return, but if the situation continues the body will cope by adapting to it. You may feel as though everything has returned to normal but your body will still be using up the extra resources needed to cope with the stressful situation, over time your ability to function properly will be affected, resulting in fatigue, irritability and lethargy.

3. Exhaustion –
Long-term stress changed your hormonal balance and leads to exhaustion. A suppressed immune system, slower metabolism and inefficient cell repair result in rapid aging, weight gain and a greater risk of degenerative diseases. Your body becomes worn out, you become ill more often and you feel psychologically burnt out. You can become seriously ill and suffer from a breakdown.

Although stress can cause all these disorders, it is not in itself an illness. It is the product of habitual responses to difficult situation and unhealthy living. It is a habit that can be broken, if you are prepared to look carefully at your life and take control.

Useful Reading:
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook by Martha Davis, Matthew McKay, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman