A sleep expert has explained why you might be experiencing especially vivid dreams right now and reveals the top 10 places your unconscious mind might wander during spring.
Martin Seeley, CEO and sleep expert at MattressNextDay, has revealed that we are actually more likely to dream vividly in spring, or more specifically, April.
He also explained how longer days and lighter nights, as well as the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, influence the quality and duration of our sleep.
Martin said: ‘A study found that we experience the greatest disruption to our sleep in the spring season. This is because our waking hours are earlier (due to longer daylight hours) and therefore our sleep duration decreases. It has also been recorded that our sleep time is less when there are longer days.
Martin Seeley, CEO and sleep expert at MattressNextDay, has revealed that we are actually more likely to dream in spring, or more specifically, April (file image)
‘In fact, the same study revealed that, during spring, our sleep time is reduced by 25 minutes, even when we go to bed two minutes earlier than in winter.
‘This could be attributed to the production of melatonin, which is a hormone that helps sleep. Melatonin is regulated by light and darkness; When there is more light (like in spring and summer), not as much melatonin is produced. With less light more is produced.’
After conducting an extensive study that analyzed more than 279,750 dream-related Google searches to find out which ones are most likely to occur, dream analyst Inbaal Honigman also deciphered what these dreams really mean…
The 10 best spring dreams
After conducting an extensive study that analyzed over 279,750 dream-related Google searches to find out which ones are most likely to occur, famous psychic and dream analyst Inbaal Honigman (pictured) also deciphered what these dreams really mean.
1. Tooth loss
Inbaal said: ‘Teeth are a sign of ages and stages of life. We are born without either, go through two sets in childhood and adulthood, and begin to lose them again in old age.
‘Therefore, dreaming about losing teeth symbolizes a loss, such as leaving a relationship behind or even moving house.’
2. Pregnancy
According to Inbaal, many pregnancy dreams are simply predictions.
She said: ‘Parents-to-be dream about their pregnancy even before the home pregnancy kit turns pink, and it’s common to see the sex of their baby or correctly predict the due date.
“Beyond fertility, pregnancy in a dream can represent the desire for a new job or a creative project, such as a ‘new life.'”
3. Spiders
Inbaal revealed that dreams about spiders are usually a sign that you need to “face your fears and insecurities.”
She said: ‘Just as spiders are challenged to create and maintain their webs with precision, you are asked to face the challenges in your life with resilience and determination.
‘It is a time to face challenges with resilience and determination. Pay attention to the details of your dreams to get more specific information about your particular situation.’
4. Falling
Martin Seeley said: ‘When you dream about falling, it is actually a physiological reaction of the body going to sleep.
‘As the nervous system begins to calm down and heart rate and blood pressure decrease, this can trigger a falling sleep, also known as a ‘hypnotic jolt.’
‘The movements may be minor but sometimes they are violent enough to wake you up. These sudden movements usually last only a second or two, but they can be quite surprising if you don’t expect them.
“While they are not a dream, if they happen frequently, they are a metaphorical nightmare that disrupts sleep.”
5. Hair loss
“Losing hair in a dream can symbolize worries about aging, stress, or feeling out of control,” Inbaal revealed.
“It is a reflection of your internal thoughts and anxieties about physical appearance and self-image.”
6. fire
Inbaal revealed that fire dreams can have many different meanings.
“It can symbolize passion, light, destruction, anger and more,” he revealed.
‘The trick to finding out what your fire dream means is to look at the rest of the dream. If you weren’t afraid of fire, then it could be a reference to your own internal fire.
‘Your views and opinions could be changing, generating a renewal of yourself. If you burn yourself with fire, it indicates that your temper is raging and that you are “burning inside.”
7. Ghosts
Martin Seeley said: “Ghostly apparitions are often the effect of a sleep disorder called sleep paralysis. We go through different stages of sleep throughout the night.
‘REM (rapid eye movement) is when we dream. We are also paralyzed at this stage from making our dreams come true. But sometimes we can wake up partially, experiencing hallucinations but struggling to move.
“It may be scary, but it explains why you can ‘see’ a person or figure near your bed or in your room and also feel unable to move.”
8. Being deceived
Inbaal said the disturbing nature of dreams about relationship cheating means they can have an impact on sleep.
“The feeling of betrayal, shame and hopelessness that accompanies infidelity can ruin a good night’s sleep,” she said.
‘If you dream about an ex-partner cheating on you, you may be trying to make sense of the separation. You might worry that their loyalty was never to you and suspect that they were cheating on you in real life, too.
“Or if you dream that your current partner is cheating on you, this dream shows your own insecurities rather than unfaithful thoughts about your partner.”
9. Drowning
“Drowning in a dream is often the fear of losing yourself in some way,” Inbaal explained.
‘Whether it’s being overwhelmed by work, a relationship problem or stress, there is a fear of ‘drowning’ under the weight of emotions and being unable to manage or process them.
“Even if you are not in crisis, simply dealing with the daily struggles of life and trying to survive as a well-functioning human being in today’s society is enough to induce these dreams.”
10. Get lost
“Dreaming that you are lost can lead to feelings of frustration, not fitting in, and confusion,” Inbaal said.
‘If you have a situation in your waking life where you are worried about not finding your way, these dreams can help you find direction.
‘It can also be a dream for those who are grieving, a way to process the loss of a person or a missing part of oneself.
“Although other people in your dreams can often represent other parts of yourself, it could also be that you feel like you’ve lost an aspect of yourself.”