As people have been confined to their homes due to coronavirus pandemic, the uses of social media have increased. Although being inside four walls may not be a healthy option, it is the only better option considering the crisis situation we are in. While people have been tweeting and sharing their quarantine stories on social media, recently people have been writing about their bizarre dreams. Netizens have been posting weird dreams they have been seeing during this period using the hashtag #pandemicdreams. Last week, 'Why am I have weird dreams lately?' increased considerably. Falling in Your Dreams Meaning: Here's What Your Subconscious Mind is Trying To Tell You.

Most of them are amazed at the uniqueness of their dreams which is centred around fear, death and different looking worlds. One such tweet read, "I had a dream that I stood on top of a mountain of dead people.  They weren't maimed or decaying, just dead.  My ex was on the top of the pile and in my hands, I held his still-beating heart.  Wow.... #pandemicdreams." According to a report in the CCN, these dreams are quite normal cryptic responses. It is the brain's way of understanding the current situation the way we understand it during the daytime.

Check Out The Tweet Below:

Sleep medicine expert, Meir Kryger, professor of pulmonary medicine and clinical professor of nursing at Yale School of Medicine was quoted as saying, This [pandemic] is something that they've never experienced before. And it's possible that their brains are trying to find a time when things weren't like that. It's like when sometimes people are trying to fall asleep and they can't turn their minds off. They will try to think about a time when things were better."

Here's Another Dream:

Jason Ellis, a psychology professor at Northumbria University and director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research says, "There's the evolutionary theory that says we use dreams to try out different scenarios in a safe environment that might be challenging or threatening in real life. When we look at people's brains when they're sleeping, you can actually tell differences between when they're dreaming and when they're not. And we can certainly see that brain activity changes as a function of dreams." What Are Dreams and Why Do We Dream? Here’s the Science Behind Activity of Brain When You Are Asleep.

Check Out The Tweet Below:

Many of Them Were Scared to Sleep After Seeing These Dreams:

These dreams could be the stress or mental troubles of the pandemic due to work or family issues. These dreams can also be the brain's way of coping and processing novel circumstances. Kryger says that unusual habits could also be the cause of these dreams. Binge-watching shows hours before bed can result in a restless night. Drinking more alcohol suppresses memories of dreams but it can also keep you up during deep phase of sleep during which our brains are most active.

Most People Had Terrible Ones:

Ellis was quoted as saying, "Usually when we've had to go into the office or we've had to go to work, there's been a very strong structure about what time you get up and leave; we would probably put ourselves to bed at a certain time so we could get up and get ready and do all of these things." Ellis said that the pattern once followed by going to work has now become harder and there is no motivation to sleep early now. With our routine changing, our social practices have changed as well. Sweet Dreams Much? From False Awakenings to Nightmares And More, Here Are 6 Types of Dreams You Should Know Of.

Quite Disturbing Ones:

Guidelines by Sleep Foundation During COVID-19 Outbreak:

Set a specific time for sleep. Have a wind-down time which can include "light reading, stretching, and meditating along with preparations for bed like putting on pajamas and brushing your teeth.' Avoid the use of electronic devices in bed or immediately before going to bed. The Sleep Foundation says, "The blue light produced by electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, and computers, has been found to interfere with the body’s natural sleep-promoting processes."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 11, 2020 04:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).