Disturbed Dreaming Research Paper

“Nightmares are the most common form of disturbed dreaming” (Levin and Nielsen, “Disturbed Dreaming…” 482). Even though each person is made up of unique experiences, DNA, and come from different backgrounds, research shows that people’s dreams tend to share much of the same subject content (Osmun). Nightmares are unpleasant dreams with disturbing content, usually going hand in hand with negative emotional responses (How Sleep Works). These dreams can affect people in ways that make them feel uncomfortable, uneasy, and trapped. These are dreams that can be thought of as bizarre and an event that would not commonly occur. Many people regularly struggle with nightmares. They can occur due to many different reasons. Nightmares are disturbances in a person’s sleep

Rapid eye movement, or REM, is what a person experiences when going to sleep. The brain is constantly in motion and is very busy during the night. During REM, the brain shows wave activity similar to that as though a person is waking up. The brain consumes more energy than if they were awake (Osmun). During this time the brain is giving demands to the motor cortex so people can move around in their dream worlds (Osmun). Nightmares typically occur during the latter half of sleep (Popova). They are said to be dysfunctions of a normal REM sleep. This is due to neurotransmitter imbalances or unusual activity in the limbic system (How Sleep Works). How Sleep Works also shared that there is a 45-50% chance that identical twins will share propensities to nightmares. People who are awakened from REM can recall their nightmare with vivid memory of unpleasant emotions or aggressive social interaction. As stated in the above paragraph, REM is in the position to influence a person’s mood when