Most of us have wondered at one time or another what a dream meant, especially the bizarre ones. But is there a difference between fever dreams and normal dreams? Let’s find out.
What Are Fever Dreams?
If you have ever experienced vivid dreams during illness, especially while battling a high fever, and wondered why, this article will explain fever dreams and the unique link between sleep and our immune systems.
A “fever dream” is usually a strange, often distressing, and vivid dream that occurs when your body temperature is extremely high. Nightmares and fever are directly related because your normal cognitive abilities are not functioning correctly.
Why Do Fever Dreams Happen?
Your sleep quality during sickness changes. When you’re fighting an infection, your hypothalamus, which acts like a thermostat, resets to a higher temperature. This higher temperature affects how your brain processes information during sleep.
Another characteristic of fever dreams is disruption of REM sleep. These broken sleep cycles wake you up frequently, making it more likely you'll remember vivid dreams.
Cognitive noise is another side effect of excessive heat. It affects how our cerebral cortex functions, leading to disjointed, strange stories typical of fever dreams.
Fever Dream Meaning: Key Characteristics
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Spatial distortion: A feeling like the walls are moving, or objects are changing size.
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Repetitive tasks: A feeling of trying to solve a problem or task that never ends.
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Threatening imagery: More “nightmare-like” scenarios compared to standard dreams.
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Lack of social interaction: Fever dreams are less likely to feature other people in them.
Fever Dream Meaning: What They Do and Don’t Say About Your Health
We understand why fever dreams occur, but what do they say about our health?
What DO they say about our health?
Active Immunity
Fever dreams are a sign that our body is releasing fever-reducing substances to actively fight the infection.
Fragmented REM Sleep
REM is the stage when we dream, and when we have a high fever because we're uncomfortable, our sleep becomes fragmented, waking us up during REM sleep when we're right in the middle of dreaming.
Thermal Stress
High temperatures affect our cerebral cortex, which handles complex thinking and sensory perception. This is why many of these dreams involve spatial distortions, such as objects appearing much larger or smaller.
What DON’T they say about our health?
A warning of what's ahead
Fever dreams are not signs of what's to come. They are a biological glitch, not a deep psychological insight.
Problems with your brain
They are not a sign of brain damage. Your dreams may seem crazy, but once your temperature returns to normal, the strange dreams and how often they occur will stop.
Not reality
These dreams don’t reflect your true thoughts. These anxiety dreams are like digital noise.
Fever Dreams, Anxiety, and Nightmares
Fever dreams, anxiety dreams, and nightmares all exist in the same realm, but each type is caused by different biological and psychological processes.
What they have in common is that they all indicate a state of increased brain activity during REM sleep.
Fever Dreams vs. Nightmares
A fever dream is caused by a physiological condition, such as a high fever that impacts the hypothalamus. In contrast, a nightmare is often caused by stress, trauma, or lack of sleep.
When your amygdala, your brain’s threat detector, becomes overstimulated, your dreams feel terrifying because your brain is in a state of hyper-arousal. This is why nightmares and fever dreams often seem to be the same.
Fever Dreams vs. Normal Dreams
Our normal dreams resemble a replay of our daily lives, somewhat chaotic but connected to reality. In contrast, a fever dream results from a high core body temperature, like during a severe fever.
Normal dreams involve memory processing, include people, occur infrequently, are realistic, and are often forgotten.
Fever dreams are caused by elevated body temperature and often involve objects, the environment, tedious or repetitive tasks, bizarre distortions, and are highly memorable.
Fever Dreams vs. Lucid Dreams
We already know what constitutes a fever dream and what causes them, so what about lucid dreams? Where do they fit in?
Lucid dreams happen when there's increased activity in the prefrontal cortex. We often can control the story or environment of these dreams because the thinking part of our brain, the prefrontal cortex, is active while our body stays asleep.
They are empowering, vivid, and exciting, especially because we are fully aware that we are dreaming while it’s happening.
This is the result of healthy REM sleep combined with waking brain patterns, which explains why we feel like we are experiencing them in real time.
How to Reduce Fever Dreams and Sleep Better While Sick
The key to reducing fever dreams is to cool the body because they result from an elevated core body temperature. Steps to take:
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Over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen or ibuprofen are a good place to start to lower your body temperature.
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Shivering can actually raise your body temperature, so avoid ice baths and opt for a lukewarm sponge bath instead.
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Dehydration worsens dreams, so drink plenty of fluids like water or an electrolyte solution to prevent this.
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Adjust your sleep environment by lowering the temperature in your bedroom to 65 degrees, which is the ideal sleeping temperature.
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Use thin layers of blankets, and use sleepwear and sheets made of natural fabrics.
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Avoid heavy foods and other stimulants as they intensify fever dreams.
How Yana Products Can Help
Optimizing your sleep environment is essential for comfort during a high fever, and Yana products are created with this purpose in mind.
Made from natural, breathable fabrics and free from harmful chemicals, all of our sleep aids promote restful sleep, especially during times of illness.
The Yana full-body pillow is a great place to start. It provides wraparound comfort like a hug and helps your body stay correctly aligned, reducing joint pain that can disrupt your sleep.
If you’re a side sleeper looking for a smaller pillow, Yana’s rectangular side sleeper pillow offers the same comfort and alignment as our full body pillow.
We know that excessive light can intensify fever dreams, so our weighted aromatherapy eye mask is the perfect solution.
To help relax the body and mind during illness, our weighted heart-shaped pillow can initiate your sleep routine by gently transitioning the body into a state of rest and relaxation before sleep.
Don’t let illness interfere with a good night’s sleep. Shop our line of Yana Sleep products to help reduce fever dreams and encourage restful nights.