The amazing dreaming phenomenon does not cease to amaze. What would be considered outrageous in waking life is possible in dreaming. Of course it is hard for one to keep asking yourself if you are awake in the waking life. While sleeping, however, it is possible to experience another dream while dreaming. This is also referred to as false awakening. False awakenings can be frustrating. This is because they can happen in such succession as would tremendously impact the life of a person negatively. Nonetheless, as shall be discussed in this article, there are remedies to false awakenings.
How Can You Know For Sure That You Are Dreaming?
First, whenever you doubt it, it is because you are in fact in another dream. Take the example of bedwetting individuals, for example. A person will wake up (in the dream) to go out to the ablutions and get back to sleep— all while asleep. They are dreaming hey have woken but in actual sense merely easing into another dream!
Secondly, in your supposed awakening (in dream of course), try to remember the exact location or cell phone number of someone you know well. It is possible that if you can’t, it is likely because you are dreaming. While in the REM sleep cycle, it is normal for one not to access the storage of such important information. So if you cannot remember, it is because you are still dreaming in a dream. The incongruities will help in asserting whether you are awake or merely eased into another dream while dreaming.
What Causes False Awakenings?
Two possibilities lead to false awakening:
- Worry or anxiety
When one is overly anxious or anticipating something, that person’s brain is predisposed to working restlessly in trying to evaluate solutions, options or plans. The same feelings are likely to lead to false awakenings in frustrating proportions and successions.
- Sleep fragmentation
It is highly possible that the human brain can be in multiple states of consciousness at any given time. When the part of the brain that is responsible for consciousness is active at the same time with that which controls dreaming, false awakenings become highly likely. Your brain can be in more than one state of consciousness at once. So it’s possible that the part of your brain responsible for dreaming and also that for consciousness are both active. This fragmentation could then lead to vivid dreaming of gaining consciousness and waking up.
Awakening From A False Awakening
When unsure about whether you are awake or not, it is advisable to take some moments to get accustomed to the realities of the environments before doing anything stupid. The following is a summary of the possible activities that one can do to awaken:
- Repeatedly open and close your eyes
- Focus on some object. When in a dream within a dream, you will realize the detail fading and morphing into something else. That realization lone is enough to let back in to consciousness.
How To Prevent More False Awakenings
- Exercise
Light to moderate exercises have been found to work the trick in some people in stopping false awakenings. Strenuous exercises are not advisable because they may result into other problems. - The Nap Snack
This refers to as snack taken just before sleeping. A snack of warm milk, for example, works the trick for those desiring to prevent false awakenings. - Calmness before bed
Any feelings of anxiety and anticipation are not good just before sleep. They may most likely lead to false awakenings. Rather, spend effort in trying to reassert calmness and the experience will be better. - No alcohol please
Any ingestion of alcohol may heighten the possibility of experiencing false awakenings. Similarly, caffeine adds to the hyper sensitivity that is not recommended just before sleep.
Conclusion
False awakenings or dreams within dreams can be simply frustrating. The prospect of what would conventionally be a good night’s sleep can be terrifying for a person with false awakenings. As a result, it is recommended that action should be taken to take care of the problem. Besides meals, exercises have also been found to work favorably in curing false awakenings.
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