The importance of sleep is a cornerstone of the brain explanation in a session. Sleep is crucial for learning. A single night of insufficient sleep can significantly hinder our ability to learn new skills and absorb information. Poor sleep can send the appetite haywire spiking and slashing the hormones that regulate our hunger. Additionally, chronic sleep deprivation is a risk factor for hypertension and rise in blood pressure.

Lately, some of my client conversations have turned to sleep either focussing upon the lack of it and vivid reams and/or a complete lack of dreaming.

One of my clients, a teacher, recently told me they had a ‘terrible’ dream where at the end of a staff meeting, it was announced that a parent had formally complained about them. Instead of feeling a sense of dread, fear and shame at what they could have possibly done to warrant such an opinion, they reacted rather nonchalant and confidently exclaimed that they knew they had done nothing wrong, spoke a few choice words and then absolved responsibility. They were absolutely perplexed as this was NOT the way they would have felt nor dealt with such a scenario in real life.

This got me thinking about why on earth would our brains choose to act out such unpleasant scenarios? Should we not be dallying about the land of nod in peaceful slumber. It has been suggested, from an evolutionary point of view, that acting out our fears and worries in our sleep is beneficial to us. It is the playground in which we can act out our insecurities and worries in a low-risk environment.  If we can role play situations that could potentially cause angst and anxiety (e.g semi-naked at an interview, late for an exam, spouse cheating, teeth falling out!) then maybe we can look for ways to help deal with such fears in the relative comfort of being an active participant or bystander in a dream. Perversely, it could be argued that awakening from such angst gives temporary relief in knowing that it was ‘all a dream’ and the safety to start the day more positively.

During our REM sleep, our brains hoover up the fragments and remnants of the day into that metaphorical ‘dream channel’ where we process these events. It is in this state that our brains seek to do the reparatory work and mull over the events of the day: focus upon that vague or confusing conversation, ruminate on the unfinished project or nerve-wracking interaction. The memory of these events are processed and changed from being an emotional memory to a narrative memory; one that we, hopefully, have a degree of control over.

It has been said that solutions come to you in this state. The spontaneous mind wandering seeking out an answer that can be found in dreams is called upon whilst you relax. This state is replicated in trance where the mind wanders, wonders and lingers over ambiguities and unfinished business to come up with a plan.

So, it may seem like something your granny might say when you approach for advice but ‘to sleep on it’ plays an essential role in maintaining mental well-being and may just be where you work out a solution to a problem.

Amanda Quail

https://www.afsfh.com/hypnotherapists-postcodes/1613-amanda-quail/