Do you remember your dreams? Not the hopes and ambitions you had before the pandemic. I mean the wild and weird ones you have at night.
The reason I ask is because being able to recall a few dreams is a good sign you’ve had Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which, as we'll learn, is basically going to fix all of our issues (or thereabouts).
What’s REM and why you might feel pleased when you remember your dreams?
For adults; the beginning of the night is when sleep cycles front load the body restoration and less time is spent in REM. The priority for that first part on body function, so you can keep going. This is evolutionary beneficial, it dates back to when we might have been woken up by dangerous predators or unsafe conditions, the body could respond and spring into action (ok, it’s also useful when my cats are hungry in the night, I can get up and drop food in the vicinity of their bowls, and go back to bed).
Once the body is minimally restored, the latter sleep stages place more emphasis on the brain -repair and restoration, which is characterised in REM sleep. This is when we dream, and remembering the dreams in the morning (or when you wake up) means you were REMming like a pro.
I’m a fan of metaphors and simplifying things, so sleep cycles; the first phase is the equivalent of having a quick meal when you’re ravenous. You’re like; great, done that now, sated my hunger, that will get me through to the next meal (which will be equally as unsatisfying). The REM sleep is the meal you take time to prepare, source lovely ingredients, lay the table and actually appreciate the meal. It’s memorable and nourishing, much like a quality night’s sleep. -You can see the difference right? It might be nice to keep a sleep diary (nothing fancy); upon waking each day jot down if you can remember some dreams. This will give you a little insight into your sleep. Wearable sleep trackers can’t pick up on this stuff, get out a pen and paper, and feel how you slept.
In my Wednesday evening group class you’ll learn general sleep principles (both overtly and covertly… when people train with me they realise the amount of methods I slip into sessions). Practicing yoga in the evening as we do once a week, promotes full, satisfying sleep.
Every system in the body is nourished when we sleep well.
I really encourage you to use lack of sleep as a wake up call to nourish your whole self.
Attend class and learn everything you can from me in group sessions and know that you can message me outside of them. Or perhaps you want to take things deeper, work 1:1 to discover your sleep saboteurs, and feel empowered about how to overcome them.