Have you noticed over the last few days that your dreams are kind of weird? More weird than usual. Mine have been and so are those of people I have spoken with. It's as though I have gone back in time to an earlier life on most occasions.
Additionally, have you been tired, more tired than usual, feeling both physically and psychologically drained? Perhaps even emotionally drained? I have, and not just because of work, I am tired both physically as well as mentally, and I'll admit to having the occasional emotional moment where I feel overwhelmed.
So what is going on? The 'tiredness' issue is simple to explain, change and uncertainty. In the new world of COVID-19 we now have to make so many decisions about what was once easy to make, almost an unconscious decision.
"I'm just going down the road to get some milk" now becomes a multi-dimensional decision based on numerous influencing factors related to survival - am I allowed to go, how will I get there, which shop is open, what is the wait time, do I need gloves and mask, will I look silly (yes), how will I stay safe, what is 2 metres between other people, should I buy toilet paper while I am there (no), do I take my gloves off at the car or when I get home, has the milk container now been infected, phew!
Psychology affects physiology - when we have to make numerous calculated decisions that are outside of our routine we quickly become mentally tired as we use up fuel. Our brain prefers to run in patterns, neural pathways, and when we go outside of these pathways our mind goes to war - fight or flight.
Fighting, is both mentally and physically draining. Mentally, because we are consuming valuable brain fuel, and physically because our muscles become tense with adrenaline and we go into a heightened state of alertness with cortisol.
So why are our dreams weird then? It is important at this point to differentiate our conscious mind from our subconscious one. When we go to sleep our subconscious mind takes over and it does not behave in a 'normal' manner that our conscious mind does.
Our subconscious is different, it doesn't work on the present moment it works on the past. Our subconscious mind is working on the day's events to consolidate our long-term memory and get rid of any rubbish. It is also working on our fears and insecurities, of which there are a few currently.
All of these actions done so when we dream, for that is what our dreams are - processing the day's events and our fears. Because there are lots of new and uncertain things going on in the world at the moment, our subconscious has a lot of work to do. Hence, we have stranger dreams than usual.
What can we do to overcome what is occurring at the moment, we could fill pages with information that you would soon get bored with. A shorter answer is to go to our website and hit the 'Contact Us' button, scroll down to the 'Sleep Tips' query, fill out the details and we will get back to you with a comprehensive document on how to relax and how to get a better night's sleep.
As for feeling emotionally drained, connect with people. Most often in our new world we have feelings of being overwhelmed and isolated. Connection with others can counteract these normal emotions. Go for a walk around the block and say "Hi" to everyone you pass by.
Not only does exercise produce the buzz from endorphins being produced in our brain, exercise also burns off adrenaline and cortisol increasing the chance of a better night's sleep. Saying hello to others connects us but also makes the world seem just a little normal.
Let's talk!