92 COSMOPOLITAN APRIL 2018 FOR MORE GREAT STORIES, VISIT COSMO.INyou, you, you
FREE DREAM APPS TO
MAKE SENSE OF YOUR
SLUMBER
iDream
Features a dream interpreter
with more than 4,000
meanings.
DreamsCloud
Lets you share dreams with
others and get feedback.
Dream Journal Ultimate
The largest dream database
in the world allows you
to share your dreams on
forums or record them in
the journal.9
MEETING A CELEB
Bumped into Ryan
Gosling in your dreams?
It can mean you’re looking
for a special something
to get your creative juices
flowing. According to
behavioural psychologist
Shelley Smith, “celebrities
typically portray and
carry a message that’s
associated with personal
accomplishment or
lack thereof. A person
dreaming about [a
celebrity] is seeking
inspiration—or one of the
characteristics associated
with that celebrity.”10
DRIVING OUT
OF CONTROL
Dreams involving a car
crash or losing control of
a vehicle can mean that
you’re beating yourself
up about something—
perhaps something you
said or did IRL.11
SNAKES
According to
Sigmund, snakes are a
symbol of—you guessed
it—the phallus. The
snake can represent
a male figure in your
life who you either feel
attracted to or who you
find intimidating.
If a snake is following
you or biting you,
DreamsCloud suggests
it may symbolise hurtful
or harmful comments,
attitudes or ideas held by
you or others. If you’re
running away from the
lithe reptile, it could
symbolise being unwilling
to confront fears.What About
Nightmares?
“Nightmares usuallyoccur when you’re
overloading on stress,”
says intuitive energy
healer and Usui Reiki
master Helen Randal-
Smith. “They are one of
the ways in which your
body tries to regulate the
stress. They can actually
be very healing—and,
sometimes, when the
nightmare is interpreted,
the meaning turns out
to be good, as opposed
to bad.” But recurring
nightmares can become
problematic. Seek help if
it’s effecting your daily life.FOCUS ON THE THINGS
YOU CAN CONTROL
Clinical psychologist
Hlengiwe Zwane suggests
you look at the factors
in your life that you can
change if they’re showing
up in your nightmares.
Do an audit by asking
yourself these questions:
l Are you in a safe space?
l Is your home secure?l Are you experiencing
something that is
practically scary?
l Are you watching
violent films or horror
movies that could be
triggering nightmares?
l Is there anything else
you can pinpoint as a
possible trigger that you
can reduce or cut out?
Nightmares are common
if you’re experiencing post-
traumatic stress disorder
from a trauma that
imprints intense emotions
into your subconscious,
such as abuse or a robbery.
“If dreams stop you from
sleeping, you should speak
to someone—a therapist or
a psychologist,” says Zamo.KEEP A DREAM
JOURNAL
“In a dream journal,
you can pick up on any
patterns,” says Zamo. It
also helps you track the
frequency of nightmares,
and can help you isolatea trigger that typically
occurs every time
beforehand.BE SELF-AWARE
Sangoma suggests
unpacking dreams by
asking where, what, who,
and how. Where are you?
What are you doing?
Who is in your dream?
How are you feeling? Use
the answers to identify
meanings or triggers. nVery light sleep.
You start to lose
muscle control,
which causes
twitches. You
begin to lose
self-awareness,
and brainwave
frequencies
lessen.Light, dreamless
sleep. This
makes up about
half of your
sleep time.
Brainwaves
reduce further,
with short bursts
of increased
activity.Slow-wave sleep. It
is also dreamless,
but it’s a much
deeper sleep: if
you’re woken, you’ll
be drowsy and
confused. If you’re a
sleepwalker, this is
when you’re likely to
be active.Dreaming begins.
Brainwave activity
increases, but
sleep is deeper.
Being disturbed
during this phase
can impair your
ability to function
when you’re
awake.SLEEP CYCLES AND DREAM STAGES
There are five key stages of sleep. Your most memorable
dreams occur in the fourth and fifth stages:NREM STAGE
145-55% 12-15% 20-25%NREM STAGE
2NREM STAGES
3 & 4REM
(STAGE 5)4-5%