A sleep expert has explained why you’re experiencing particularly vivid dreams right now, as he reveals the top 10 places your unconscious mind can wander during spring.
Martin Seeley, the CEO and sleep expert of MattressNextDay, has revealed that we are likely to dream more vividly in the spring, or more specifically in April.
He also explained how longer days and lighter evenings, plus the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, play a role in the quality and length of our sleep.
Martin said: ‘A study has shown that we experience the most disruption to our sleep in the spring. This is because our wake-up times are earlier – due to the longer daylight hours – and therefore our sleep duration decreases. It has also been recorded that our sleep time is shorter when there are longer days.
Martin Seeley, the CEO and sleep expert of MattressNextDay has revealed that we are actually more likely to dream in the spring, or more specifically, in April (stock image)
‘The same study even showed that our sleep time is reduced by 25 minutes in spring, even if we go to bed two minutes earlier than in winter.
‘This can be attributed to the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. Melatonin is regulated by light and darkness; when there is more light (such as in spring and summer), you produce less melatonin. You produce more with less light.’
After conducting an extensive study analyzing more than 279,750 dream-related Google searches to find out which ones are most likely to occur, dream analyst Inbaal Honigman has also decoded what these dreams really mean…
The top 10 spring dreams
After conducting an extensive study analyzing more than 279,750 dream-related Google searches to find out which of them are most likely to occur, renowned psychic and dream analyst Inbaal Honigman (pictured) has also decoded what these dreams really mean.
1. Teeth fall out
Inbaal said, ‘Teeth are a sign of the ages and stages of life. We are born without it, go through two periods in childhood and adulthood, and then begin to lose them again in old age.
‘To dream of losing teeth therefore symbolizes loss, such as leaving a relationship or even moving.’
2. Pregnancy
According to Inbaal, many pregnancy dreams are just predictions.
She said: ‘Expectant parents are already dreaming about their pregnancy before the home pregnancy kit turns pink, and it’s common to see the gender of your baby or correctly predict the date of birth.
“In addition to fertility, pregnancy in a dream can represent the desire for a new job or 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 pushed to tackle your life challenges with resilience and determination.
“It is a time to meet challenges with resilience and determination. Pay attention to the details in your dreams for more specific insights into your unique situation.”
4. Fall
Martin Seeley said: ‘If you dream of falling, this is actually a physiological response to the body falling asleep.
‘As the nervous systems begin to calm down and your heart rate and blood pressure drop, this can trigger a falling dream, also known as a ‘hypnotic jerk’.
‘The movements may be small, but sometimes they are violent enough to wake you up. These sudden movements usually only last a second or two, but they can be quite surprising if you’re not expecting them.
“Although they are not a dream, if they occur often they are a metaphorical nightmare because they disrupt your sleep.”
5. Hair loss
“Hair loss in a dream could be a symbol of worries about aging, stress or a feeling of being out of control,” Inbaal revealed.
“It’s a reflection of your inner thoughts and fears about physical appearance and self-image.”
6. Fire
Inbaal revealed that dreams about fire can have many different meanings.
“It can symbolize passion, light, destruction, anger and more,” she revealed.
‘The trick to figuring out what your fire dream means is to look at the rest of the dream. If you weren’t afraid of the fire, then it could be a reference to your own internal fire.
‘Your views and opinions can change, causing a renewal of yourself. If you are burned by fire, it indicates that your temper is frantic and you are ‘burning up inside.’
7. Ghosts
Martin Seeley said: ‘Ghostly apparitions are often the result of a sleep disorder called sleep paralysis. During the night we go through different stages of sleep.
‘REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is when we dream. We are also paralyzed at this stage so that we do not achieve our dreams. But sometimes we can partially wake up and experience hallucinations but have difficulty moving.
“It can be terrifying, but it does explain why you can ‘see’ a person or figure near your bed or in your room and you can’t move.”
8. Being cheated on
Inbaal said the disturbing nature of dreams about cheating in relationships means they can impact your sleep.
“The feeling of betrayal, shame and hopelessness that comes with infidelity can ruin a good night’s sleep,” she said.
‘If you dream that an ex-partner is cheating, you may be trying to make sense of the breakup. You might worry that their loyalty was never to you, and you might suspect that they cheated 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 explains.
‘Whether this is due to being overwhelmed by work, a relationship problem or stress, there is the fear of ‘drowning’ under the weight of emotions and not being able to handle or process them.
“Even when you’re not in turmoil, simply dealing with life’s daily problems and trying to survive as a functioning human being in today’s society is enough to trigger these dreams.”
10. Getting lost
“To dream that you are lost can bring up feelings of frustration, not belonging and confusion,” Inbaal said.
‘If you have a situation in your waking life where you are afraid that you will not find your way, these dreams can help you find direction.
‘It can also be a dream for grieving people, a way to cope with the loss of someone, or a part of yourself that is missing.
“While other people in your dreams can often represent other parts of yourself, you may also feel like you’ve lost an aspect of yourself.”