Dreaming A Lot In Your Pregnancy ? – If you are pregnant, you have probably already started dreaming a lot. If not, maybe you have started having dreams that are very different in nature and intensity from what they were earlier, before you got pregnant.
During your pregnancy months, your dreams often start getting increasingly intense and descriptive. They are detailed and you may also see situations that you find very weird and may not have been thinking of consciously, but still see them in your dreams.
Why Do You Dream So Much?
When you are pregnant, your body goes through a host of hormonal changes that trigger various reactions, including the variety of dreams you see. Also, when you are pregnant, you have to get more rest and sleep, and the more time you spend sleeping, the higher chances you have of dreaming more.
Also, when you are pregnant, the heightened level of hormonal activity makes it easier for you to remember your dreams. So it is possible that even though you may have had similar dreams earlier, you remember them now during your pregnancy and feel you are dreaming a lot. This happens because of a concept known as dream recall which is related to how often you wake up. For instance, during pregnancy you wake up too often during the night as your need to urinate increases. Also, as your baby’s movement increases, you may wake up more often. When you suddenly wake up in the middle of a dream, you remember it more in detail than you would if you woke up in the morning after a restful sleep.
Through The First And Second Trimester
As your pregnancy progresses and your body grows and changes, the nature of your dreams will also change. Your dreams will reflect your changing pregnancy condition, including physical changes as well as your mental and emotional changes and status.
One of the most common dreams during the first trimester involves water and fertility, where you see a fish or even a small baby floating or swimming in water, and sometimes even see yourself swimming.
By the second trimester, your dreams will also change in terms of your body changes. You will also start dreaming about animals.
By The Third Trimester
As you enter the third trimester, your dreams will get more detailed and more focused on your baby. You may start dreaming about various names that you will use to call your baby or you could have specific dreams about your baby’s gender and such. Also, the one thing you will realise is that your dreams will be very realistic, as if it is actually happening and is not merely a dream. You may end up waking and still talking, as if you are in the dream, and only then realize that it was just a dream.
Why Does This Happen
When you are not pregnant, you go through a regular sleep cycle that consists of drowsiness to light sleep and then the REM or rapid eye movement stage, where your sleep gets deeper and you begin to dream. The cycle keeps repeating through the night.
When you are pregnant, you move out of the deep sleep stage to the awake-stage very often, and that too very suddenly, which makes you remember every detail of your dream. This is why you feel that you are dreaming too much than you otherwise used to.
It is possible that you have unpleasant dreams too and if it involves your unborn baby, it can lead to stress and anxiety. However, remember that your dreams are just your way of mirroring your scares, confusion and questions. As a pregnant mother to-be, you are obviously thinking about your baby’s health and safety, and it is natural for these to get projected in your dream.
If you feel your dreams are actually bothering you and making you anxious, speak to your doctor about it.
