Nightmares during fever or fever dreams can be caused by several factors, ranging from a ‘overheated’ brain to disturbed sleep quality.
Table of Content
1. What is a dream when you have a fever?
2. Causes of dreams when you have a fever
3. The difference between dreams when you have a fever and dreams in general
4. How to prevent nightmares when you have a fever
5. Do nightmares with fever have a meaning?
Do you often have nightmares when you have a fever? This condition is known as a fever dream. Fever dream is a term used to describe nightmares or dreams that occur intensely when the body temperature rises.
The bad news, this condition can interfere with the quality of your sleep. Therefore, it never hurts to know more about dreams when you have a fever and their causes and how to overcome them so that this problem can be prevented.
What is a dream when you have a fever?
Quoted from the Sleep Foundation, a fever dream is a nightmare that feels vivid, strange, and unpleasant. This type of dream usually occurs during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
REM is a phase of sleep in which the eyes move rapidly in all directions. Most dreams, including fever dreams, occur during this phase of sleep. According To SciShow What Are Fever Dreams?
According to a study released in the International Journal of Dream Research in 2016, about 94 percent of participants described fever dreaming as a negative experience.
Another study published in the journal HHS Public Access states, 11 percent of participants who suffer from fever symptoms experience fever dreams while they sleep.
Most people who have had nightmares during a fever admit that fever dreams are emotionally intense, frightening, and disturbing dreams.
Causes of dreams when you have a fever
The cause of nightmares during fever is not known for certain. However, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, fever dreams can be caused by an overheated brain. This brain condition can interfere with cognitive processes, causing strange dreams when you have a fever.
In addition, high fever can also disrupt the REM sleep phase. This can also cause a person to have strange dreams.
It should also be understood that a high fever can cause hallucinations (seeing things that aren’t really there), irritability, and confusion. These various things can also be a factor in why fever dreams appear.
The difference between dreams when you have a fever and dreams in general
There are several specific characteristics that make fever dreams different from dreams in general, such as:
1. Spatial Distortion
When a fever dream occurs, you may see some examples of spatial distortion, such as moving walls, melting objects, and space changing size.
2. Threat or danger
Some people who have had dreams of a fever state that they experience threats or dangers from terrorists, dogs, insects, to rocks in their dreams.
3. Illness
Fever dreams can also make a person dream about diseases, such as vertigo, respiratory problems, to feelings of pain.
How to prevent nightmares when you have a fever
How to prevent nightmares when fever is not known for certain. However, controlling body temperature can help you to prevent this condition.
If you are suffering from a fever, try the following things to prevent fever dreaming.
1. Get enough rest
2. Drink regular water
3. Taking fever-reducing drugs, such as ibuprofen, paracetamol, or aspirin
4. Eat easy-to-digest food
5. Soak in warm water.
Do nightmares with fever have a meaning?
Nightmares when fever is believed to have no special meaning. However, its appearance is considered to have a relationship with the situation of the sufferer.
For example, nightmares with fever more often represent scenarios related to health or about body temperature, than dreams in general.