The UK’s secondlockdown is justdrawing to a close and the internet is apparentlyawash with accounts of strange dreams people have been having.

The dreams reported have been unusuallyvivid, sometimesdistressing and alsofantastical. Some people havegruesome nightmares while others have reccurring dreams that aresurreal,intense andhilarious. Dreams are a puzzle. They are mysterious andslippery and theysneak off when we try and remember them. However, there are some obvious reasons for why so many are having them.

Our world has beenturned upside down and thepace of life has changed. We are living in anunprecedented time and we don’t know what isaround the corner. We tend to dream when we are in REM sleep and a part of the brain called theamygdala is activated. It is full of stress hormones so this explains why we dream more when we are anxious and have more worries.

Dreams speak to us in symbols and metaphors and common themes have beenpopping up.Buginfestations, which I’m glad to say I have luckily never dreamt about, apparently mean that someone or something is literallybugging you! Dreaming that your hands are falling off means that you’re not sure how tohandle something and if you dream of tornadoes andtidal waves, it means that you feeloverwhelmed and that everything isspinning out of control.

Whether you believe in these meanings or not, it is widely acknowledged that there are certain things we can do to get a calmer night’s sleep. It’s important to avoid anxiety-provoking media anddoomscrolling.Getting out and about and connecting with nature is also helpful. Other tips are to write down worries that you may have and to make sure you’re notoverdoing it with stimulants like caffeine and alcohol.

I have to say that my dreams are usually quitemundane although I have had a fewoddones this year. How about you? I’m looking forward to hearing if you’ve had more dreams than usual or if they’ve been any different.In any case, if we wake uppondering on strange images that arecoming to mind, we’ll all know that we're not alone and that it’s ourcollectivesubconscious at play.