nightmares at 4oo?

[wandering]

I've been wondering about that for a while, I usually have the most intense nightmares at around 4oo in the morning - is this a general rule? I mean, irregardless of when one's gone to sleep, it seems like that time of the night has a detrimental effect on one's emotions/thinking?? What d'you think?

[cmind]

There's actually a simple explanation for this, IMO. Dreams are essentially a form of schizophrenia (it's strange how no one gets freaked out about the fact that they hallucinate every night), and deeper sleep brings deeper dream states and stronger hallucinations. The further removed from reality you are, the more likely it is that your brain will create negative imagery. This little quirk is an evolutionary trait that we evolved back when there were predators lurking in the grasses at night, and it was better to be dreaming about being eaten if you're actually at danger of being eaten, it makes your reaction time quicker. And then you can save the good dreams for after sunrise when there's no danger of lions eating your face. Long story short, it's normal for dreams to start off horrible and get happier into the later hours of the morning.

[wandering]

...no danger of lions eating your face.. lol Quite logical, yup. Still, dont nightmares at a deep state of sleep rather remove you from reality than enhance your ability to react? Hm.

[cmind]

Well, you can't not have deep sleep, so you will be removed from reality regardless of what you dream of, so I guess it's better to be dreaming of dangerous things and have adrenaline pumping and all that stuff. That part of my theory may not be 100% correct. However, what I do know for a fact is that stronger hallucinations do equate to more negative imagery, and this can be shown in people with schizophrenia, with the more severe psychotic episodes being more paranoid and fearful. And in my view, dreams are basically just scheduled psychotic episodes.