Our brains work in mysterious and fascinating ways. From regulating our responses to external stimuli to creating the complex subconscious, our minds can give us significant insight into our lifestyles, deepest thoughts, and sleep patterns.

We’ll go through some of the most intriguing ways your brain interprets totally random things in your life, and see how these things may affect your dreams.
So here, 11 surprising things that can influence what pops up in your dreams;

SOURCE:http://www.naijasauce.com.ng/11-surprising-things-that-affect-your-dreams-2/

1. Smells


Do sweet smells lead to sweet dreams? Similar to noise, our brain interprets smells as a signal and incorporates it in dreams. One small study found that sniffing flowers at a particular point in the sleep cycle led to more positive dreams, while a sulphur odor was linked to negative ones.
For example, the scent of rose gave people pleasant dreams while the scent of rotten eggs gave weird dreams to people. There’s a possibility that a sudden aroma, the smell of wafting up from the kitchen, for example—could infiltrate your dream. Dreams are sleep protective, so instead of waking up, you incorporate those stimuli into your dream

2. Sounds

Our mind interprets the noise occurring around us while we’re asleep, and makes it a part of our dreams. This means that sometimes in our dreams we hear a sound from reality which is incorporated it a way that makes sense to our subconscious.
For example, you may be dreaming that you are in a concert while your brother is playing a guitar during your sleep. You wake up after dreaming you’re stuck in a burning building—and realize that the fire alarm you heard was actually your alarm clock. What’s with that? There’s a narrow window for sounds to get through to your brain during sleep. They need to be low enough that they don’t wake you but high enough that you perceive them.

3. Spicy Food

It’s simple: Anything that could cause indigestion—cheese, spicy foods, a big meal—makes you stir more, meaning you have a better shot of remembering that nightmare. The rule of thumb is that you need to wake up within five minutes of having a dream to recall it. For rest that’s more peaceful all around, eat dinner at least two hours before bedtime, and choose nighttime snacks wisely Since caffeine can have the same disruptive effect, it’s best to cut off your coffee intake post-2 p.m. too

4. Sleeping on Your Stomach

Are you prone to racy dreams? Well, sleeping in the prone position (that is, on your stomach) might have something to do with it. Lying on your belly in bed is linked to blush-worthy dream themes, like sleeping with a celebrity or being tied up. Researchers hypothesize that it might have to do with your breathing patterns in this position. To stop the sexy thoughts (or keep them coming) adjust your sleep posture accordingly. Another interesting fact to note is that most people who have experienced such dreams report that they also often involve a really famous personality.

5. Vitamin B6

While there’s no research on whether or not taking B6 leads to more lucid dreams, the Internet is awash with anecdotal reports that it does—which makes good biological sense. B6 is the co-factor our body uses to turn some of the amino acids we eat into the neurotransmitters that affect our dreaming. To stop the vivid dreams, stop the supplements. But if you’re looking to encourage dreaming, stay within the recommended amount of B6 daily—too much could cause nerve damage or numbness over time.

6. Antidepressants


Yes, those pills that your doctor prescribes to calm you down might be upping your nightmares. They cause rapid-eye movement sleep, the stage during which we dream. And most of those people seem to have more nightmares as a side effect

7. Quitting Smoking

Vivid dreams have been shown to be a symptom of kicking the habit, and in one study, 63% of smokers still dreamed about smoking a year later. Granted, you may just be working through your main issue at the moment which is the fact that you really want a cigarette, but nicotine withdrawal also enhances brain activity in a way that can make you dream more. Try to stick it out. Those neurons will eventually calm down again and your lungs will be much healthier

8. Black-and-White TV

File under quirky but possibly true: If you grew up before color TV sets were commonplace, you might be more likely to recall your dreams in grayscale rather than color. The sweet spot for being exposed to black-and-white media might be between about three and 10 years old (when most people start remembering their dreams), so there’s not much you can do to change your dream palette now.

9. Going to Bed Hungry

You’re struggling to keep yourself on that diet, and you might be having the dreams to prove it. Low blood sugar can rouse you from sleep, meaning you may remember more dreams and those dreams may be about a juicy burger or a hot plate of jollof rice. Luckily, a small nighttime snack of a banana and a glass of skim milk isn’t just filling, healthy and waistline-friendly, it also contains tryptophan, which can help you sleep more soundly

10. Scary Movies Before Bed

You’ve been hearing it since you were a kid: Spooky movies cause spooky nightmares. But is there any truth to that mom-knows-best scare tactic? The last thing you do before bed matters. The music you’re listening to, the book you’re reading, the TV show you’re watching, the conversation you’re having with your spouse, all those things are likely to be influencing. So if you suffer from nightmares and happen to catch a horror flick, take a few minutes to reprogram your brain with happy thoughts before settling down to sleep.

11. Genes influence your nightmares

Identical twins may usually have the same interests and habits, but scientists have discovered that their genetic basis is much stronger than anyone can imagine. It’s so strong that they can even experience nightmares on almost the same frequency. In a large study that involved nearly 2700 identical twins and 4200 non-identical twins, scientists found that identical twins are twice as likely to have the trait of having frequent nightmares as fraternal twins, which is both awesome and slightly creepy

Cieno:
10. Scary Movies Before Bed

You’ve been hearing it since you were a kid: Spooky movies cause spooky nightmares. But is there any truth to that mom-knows-best scare tactic? The last thing you do before bed matters. The music you’re listening to, the book you’re reading, the TV show you’re watching, the conversation you’re having with your spouse, all those things are likely to be influencing. So if you suffer from nightmares and happen to catch a horror flick, take a few minutes to reprogram your brain with happy thoughts before settling down to sleep.

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