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Ever experienced strange dreams when you are feeling extremely feverish and under the weather? Do you ever wonder what causes these dreams and what these dreams reflect? Fever dreams are disturbing dreams that may occur as a result of a temporary illness. In this article, we’ll discuss what a fever dream is and the causes behind it.
What Is a Fever Dream?
Fever dreams are strange dreams that occur when your body temperature exceeds the normal body temperature. This may occur as a result of an infection or temporary illness. Fever dreams are characterized as strange and vivid dreams. They may even be disturbing, resembling a nightmare.
Causes of Fever Dreams
The exact cause of fever dreams remains unknown. Some research suggests that fever may affect what you dream about at night [1].
Elevated body temperature or hyperthermia can significantly affect brain function and cause changes in sleep patterns.
How Is It Different From Regular Dreams
Fever dreams are said to be different from regular dreams in that they are often more vivid and filled with negative emotions compared to regular dreams. Although they include less social interaction, they are more emotionally intense. Around 94% of people who experienced fever dreams have reported these dreams to feel more overwhelming than normal [2].
Fever Dreams vs. Lucid Dreams
Although fever dreams and lucid dreams may both feel intense and vivid, they are vastly different in terms of their characteristics.
Here’s a closer look at how they differ:
Fever dreams occur when your body temperature is high due to a temporary illness or infection. They are often strange or confusing and may be accompanied by intense feelings or negative emotions. Also, fever dreams occur during REM sleep, and you may not necessarily have control over the content.
Some of the characteristics of fever dreams are a sense of discomfort, surreal or warped dream narratives.
Lucid dreams, on the other hand, can be purposefully induced by using specific techniques such as reality check testing, mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (MILD), wake back to bed (WBTB), and senses-initiated lucid dreaming [3].
During a lucid dream experience, the dreamer is typically aware of the fact that they are dreaming and can sometimes control or influence what happens during the dream. It occurs during REM sleep and comes with common characteristics such as self-awareness and the ability to make different choices within the dream.
Symptoms of Fever Dreams
One of the common symptoms associated with fever dreams is that they are bizarre dreams that are more intense than regular dreams. It may also come with distortion of space and time, troubling or threatening dream content, and symptoms of regular illness such as fever or weakness.
How to Prevent Fever Dreams From Occurring?
Fever dreams are often the result of a raised body temperature, particularly when you’re ill. We all fall sick from time to time. It happens, and it’s not something that we can always prevent or control.
However, there are some steps that you can take to reduce the chances of falling sick and experiencing fever dreams that disrupt your sleep quality:
1. Take precautions when you feel it coming on
Fever dreams happen when your body temperature spikes during sleep. When you do feel it coming on, you can consider taking precautions and lowering it using an over-the-counter medication (e.g., acetaminophen or ibuprofen), using a cool compress, taking a lukewarm shower or bath, and wearing light or breathable clothing and bedding.
2. Keep yourself hydrated
Dehydration can also worsen your fever and make your vivid dreams more uncomfortable or disturbing. If you’re dealing with a fever, you want to ensure that you are drinking plenty of water or clear fluids.
Keeping yourself hydrated can help to cool your body temperature down and reduce other illness symptoms.
3. Create a comfortable sleep environment
Another way to regulate your body temperature is by making sure that you have a comfortable and cool sleep environment. You can create a soothing sleep environment by using lightweight, breathable blankets, keeping your room dark, quiet, cool, and well-ventilated.
If you’re prone to overheating at night as you sleep, you can try to sleep with a fan on or keep the windows slightly open for better air circulation.
4. Practice relaxation techniques
When you’re sick, you are more likely to feel stressed and anxious, which can intensify the fever dreams.
To reduce stress and anxiety, consider practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or guided meditation, listening to soothing white noise, or calming music. Apps like ShutEye® provide soothing sleep soundscapes and guided meditations to help users relax and calm down for a more restful sleep experience. Try it today for FREE!
5. Avoid eating heavy meals before bed
Eating heavy meals before bedtime can affect your body’s ability to digest well, increasing the chances of vivid or disturbing dreams. Instead, try to eat a light, balanced dinner at least 4 hours before going to bed, and avoid any spicy or greasy foods as that could lead to acid reflux and indigestion.
If you are still feeling hungry at night despite having a full dinner, you can opt to consume lighter snacks such as yogurt or crackers.
6. Consider seeking help from a doctor
Alternatively, if you experience frequent fever dreams that are unusually intense or accompanied by other serious symptoms, such as night sweats or hallucinations, you are highly advised to speak to a healthcare provider about it.
You could have an underlying condition that may be contributing to these symptoms, and it’s worth getting properly checked out to see if there’s a need for further examinations and treatment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, fever dreams are bizarre dreams that may happen as you are battling a temporary illness. Besides it being strange and intense, it may be accompanied by symptoms of threat or danger within the dream, and the distortion of space and time where you are unable to tell what is reality or not. While it can’t be prevented completely, you can reduce the likelihood of having a fever dream by practicing good sleep hygiene.
Alternatively, you can reduce the occurrence of these dreams by using an app like ShutEye®. ShutEye® offers over 100+ curated sleep sounds and guided meditations to help you relax your mind and wind down for a good night’s sleep. Try it today for FREE!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does a fever dream mean?
A fever dream is a type of dream that occurs when you are battling a temporary illness or infection. They are strange and vivid dreams that may happen when your body temperature exceeds the normal temperature.
Is fever dream positive or negative?
Fever dreams are normally associated with disturbing and negative emotions. They may resemble a nightmare.
What is the psychology behind fever dreams?
It is said that a fever dream may occur as a result of altered brain function due to elevated body temperature.
References
- Travers, M. (2023) A Psychologist Reveals 4 Techniques To Induce ‘Lucid Dreaming’ [online]. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2023/11/04/a-psychologist-reveals-4-techniques-to-induce-lucid-dreaming/
- Schredl, M., Küster, O., Spohn, A. and Victor, A. (2016) Bizarreness in fever dreams: A questionnaire study. International Journal of Dream Research, 9(1) [online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.11588/ijodr.2016.1.28492
- Schredl, M., and Erlacher, D. (2020) Fever Dreams: An Online Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(53) [online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00053
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