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9th March 2003
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We're not doing sleep, etc, this term but ,
for those who may be interested this is
fascinating. One need not be a PhD to be
interested in dreaming. It seems to be
universal behavior to attribute meaning to
dreams and we're beginning to decipher
some of the physiology. Ciao,
the monkeywrench

my BBC
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Feature
Dreams and Illness
By Dr. Trisha Macnair
Dreams can reflect illness
An Ancient idea
Secrets of REM sleep


It's a busy day and you're rushing off to
work when, half way along the High
Street, you suddenly look down and
discover that you are still wearing your
pyjamas. From that point on, every
attempt to get home and get properly
dressed is thwarted by weird and
wonderful events until at last one thing
saves you - you wake up.

Does that dream sound familiar? It's
certainly a recurring theme for one of my
patients who regularly pours out tales of
life in the land of nod. Although he enjoys
analysing his dreams, he's seriously
searching for the meaning of them
because he is convinced that his body is
trying to tell him something. So could our
dreams actually reveal hidden secrets
about the state of our health or are they
just a bit of harmless escapism for our
weary brains?

Dreams can reflect illness

Dreams can indeed sometimes be an
important reflection of health and illness,
indicating underlying disease and
possibly even triggering problems. They
may also be a sign of psychological
conflict, or show a personality which can
influence the development of illness.

But I must add a word of warning.
Although many people, including a raft of
complementary practitioners, try to take
these theories to extremes, there is no
reliable link between any particular dream
and any illness. Dreams can offer clues
but plenty of red herrings too, so don't let
them worry you too much! Find out more
about dreaming at:
www.asdreams.org/subidxeduq_and_a.h
tm.

Illness Dream theme:
Heart problems- Death and dying
(men)Separation (women)

Migraine- Intense fear

Dementia and shrinking of the brain on
brain scans- Losing something,
especially money or food

Stroke, Epilepsy, Parkinson's disease-
Changes in the amount or quality of
dreaming - inability to remember the
dreams, few visual images in dreams

Narcolepsy- Bizarre events, frightening
events

Drugs including sedatives,
antidepressants and alcohol- Weird
disturbing dreams, nightmares when the
drugs are stopped

Changes in breathing including asthma-
Particularly emotional dreams

Psychosomatic illness- Conflict,
aggression, fear, helplessness

High blood pressure- Hostility


An Ancient idea

The ancient Greeks such as Hippocrates
and Galen believed not only that dreams
contained information that could be used
to diagnose disease, but also that
dreams were the medium through which
the Gods alleviated illness.

And where would the psychoanalyst
Sigmund Freud and those who followed
him, such as Jung, have been without
dreams to scrutinise and interpret? Freud
believed that dreams represented
unconscious wishes that were repressed
because they were unacceptable. He
also thought that disease could cause
certain dreams, such as lung disease
producing dreams of suffocation.

Secrets of REM sleep

Research has linked dreams to a type of
sleep known as Rapid Eye Movement or
REM sleep. During REM sleep the brain
is particularly active and this is when very
vivid dreams mostly occur.

REM sleep occurs roughly every 60-90
minutes, several times a night, lasting
longer as the night goes on. It's
associated with intense changes in the
physiology of the body, with fluctuations in
temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure,
adrenaline levels and secretion of
stomach acid. These changes may help
to trigger problems such as abnormal
heart rhythms and heart attacks, migraine
and asthma. In South East Asia there is a
rare disorder among men called
Pok-Kuri, or familial fatal insomnia which
is thought to be caused by an abnormal
heart rhythm related to REM sleep.

In some conditions, specific dream
themes are more likely to occur. However,
in all these medical conditions it has
been shown that the people with most
severe disease (who are most likely to
die) are those who say that they don't
dream at all. This has lead some people
to suggest that these dreams warn
people of illness threatening the body.

Top Tips
* First and foremost, have fun with your
dreams and don't read too much into
them

* Write about them:
www.birdhouse.org/dreams
* Publish pictures:
www.asdreams.org/subidxshowart.htm

* If your dreams are upsetting you, find
out more about nightmares:
www.crhsc.umontreal.ca/dreams/znm.ht
m and then talk to your GP.
* If you want to explore the world of
dreams further, the web is bursting with
sites. Comprehensive links at:
www.asdreams.org/links01.htm#art


Disclaimer

All content within BBCi HEALTH is
provided for general information only, and
should not be treated as a substitute for
the medical advice of your own doctor or
any other health care professional. The
BBC is not responsible or liable for any
diagnosis made by a user based on the
content of the BBCi HEALTH website. The
BBC is not liable for the contents of any
external internet sites listed, nor does it
endorse any commercial product or
service mentioned or advised on any of
the sites. Always consult your own GP if
you're in any way concerned about your
health.


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