The Sleep Cycle According to Chris Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist in Charlottesville, Va., there are four total stages of sleep divided into two phases: Non-REM and REM sleep. Non-REM sleep includes three stages: N1, or transitional, N2 or light sleep, and N3, or deep sleep. “Stage N1 is the transition from being awake to asleep … Read more
Possible Meanings Behind Dreaming of Teeth Falling Out Hope says that dreaming of your teeth falling out is one of the most common and frightening dreams we can have. While there are many possible meanings behind this dream, one that seems to align most often is experiencing stress or uncertainty in your life. “The teeth represent our … Read more
Dreams can be about as mysterious as our lives get—most of the time it can be impossible to understand why we’ve had a certain dream at all. Could it be the movie you watched right as you nodded off? Your vivid imagination? Stress from the previous day? Or is your subconscious trying to communicate with you? … Read more
When our head hits the pillow, it’s impossible to know what fascinating script our mind will come up with. Sometimes we dream about meeting up with an old friend or visiting a wonderful place, which can leave us feeling happy and warm once that alarm starts dinging. Other times, though, our dreams can take an … Read more
You didn’t get good sleep last night. You’ve been struggling all day to stay focused. By the evening, your partner catches you nodding off while watching your show together. Does this happen often? You may be experiencing microsleep episodes. What Is Microsleep? Microsleep occurs when your brain goes into an involuntary, full sleep mode for … Read more
When you have a fever, it’s common to have some pretty bizarre dreams. The dreams may seem to repeat themselves on a loop and be scary and surreal at times. Dreams like these are usually referred to as “fever dreams,” and they are common when your body’s thermostat goes up a few notches.1 Schredl M, Erlacher … Read more
Our dreams can feel incredibly real, which can be wonderful when you dream of something pleasant but just as terrible when you have a nightmare. If you have ever dreamed about getting shot, you might be wondering what it means. There are a variety of emotions you potentially experienced from this dream, such as fright and … Read more
When you want a good night’s sleep, you do a few things. You might brew yourself a cup of chamomile tea, limit your screen time before bed, fluff your pillows, and fiddle with the thermostat until your room’s temperature is just right. If you’re among the many people with rows and rows of pajamas in their closets, … Read more
Understanding Dream Interpretations Famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud described dreams as the “royal road” to the unconscious and suggested that by studying the obvious content of dreams, we could bring to light the hidden and unconscious desires that lead to neurosis.2 Analyzing dream symbols and ascribing meaning to them has become a source of both entertainment and self-reflection in popular culture. Do … Read more
Revenge bedtime procrastination refers to a phenomenon in which people put off going to bed to engage in activities that they don’t have time for during the day.1 It is a way of finding time for leisure and entertainment—at the expense of sleep. The term ‘bedtime procrastination’ was introduced in a 2014 paper.2 The addition of the … Read more