There's a good chance you're remembering your dreams more often, and they may be weirder than usual, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An increase in vivid dreams could also be explained by the changes that the pandemic has forced on people’s lifestyles, explains Courtney Bolstad, a graduate student at Mississippi State who works as Nadroff’s research assistant. “Social rhythm theory says that the rhythms we have during the day, what time we get up, whether we see our friends, can influence our circadian rhythm,” Bolstad says.
“The best consolidated memories are those with emotional content,” says Katja Valli, an associate professor in cognitive neuroscience at University of Skövde, Sweden. “Those memories are [the ones that are] most critical for survival and daily function. We get to forget mundane things like what we had for breakfast two weeks ago, but if you see a car crash or you have a fight with a friend, that’s emotionally salient and it gets consolidated more easily.
For the majority of people, the most dramatic way life has changed in this crisis is through decreased physical contact with the people they usually see. But that doesn’t mean those people have stopped appearing in our dreams. “I’ve been having dreams that feel incredibly real; they are conversations about resolutions with friends and exes,” says Bijal Shah, 34, who works in marketing in New York, told me. “It’s this strange clarity which continues even if I wake up.
The study found that subjects dreamed more about their close friends and family when they were in isolation. And while the proportion of the subjects’ dreams that involved socializing decreased during isolation, it didn’t go to zero—unlike their actual social contact. In addition, many of these dreams featured close friends and family members.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
All L.A. residents with symptoms can now get same-day or next-day coronavirus testsCoronavirus: All L.A. residents showing symptoms can now get coronavirus tests
Read more »
21-Year-Old College Baseball Player Dies of Coronavirus: 'It's Every Parent's Worst Nightmare''Our son is proof positive that it can take the life of a young person,' Cody Lyster's mother tells PEOPLE
Read more »
As Japan slows down, prices at risk of falling while bars, restaurants sufferFor someone like Sumako Furihata, who owns two small restaurants in Tokyo's Akasaka nightlife district, the coronavirus pandemic has been a nightmare that crushed sales and put her in a difficult situation.
Read more »
'I'm scared my dreams of becoming a mother are gone'With fertility clinics stopping treatment because of coronavirus, women wanting to conceive fear their hopes are being dashed.
Read more »
NYC medical residents treating coronavirus describe 'nightmare'They described their fears and hopes and said they never imagined they would have to bear witness to so much death this early in their careers as doctors.
Read more »
Billy McFarland, Fraudster Behind Fyre Festival, Requests Early Prison Release Due to Coronavirus ConcernsBilly McFarland, founder and producer of the calamitous 2017 Fyre Festival, has requested an early release from prison due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. A filing obtained by The Wrap r…
Read more »