nightmares? Why would your brain scare you?
In: Biology
Now this is just a theory of mine, but neurochemicals can act like little keys on the synapses. We have drugs called “reuptake inhibitors.” It keeps them in place. Caffeine and other drugs are like pushing the button down or pressing down on the gas and not letting up, depleting our energy stores. Look up people’s experiences taking 5HTP, a precursor to serotonin, and the effects it has on their dreams. Most people report nightmares, at least at first.
So my theory is that when the chemicals release from the neurons, or are taken back up (reuptake) it has a negative feeling. It’s basically a retraction or a withdrawal, if you will. One way or another, you gotta lift your finger off that pleasure/energy button or you’ll fry. So this uncomfortable feeling can happen during the day, or perhaps many people experience it at night, when they’re relatively safe in the dream world.
I think everything everyone else said about dreams is accurate, but I just thought I’d add why you might experience feelings of dread or fear in a dream when you have no real logical explaination since your waking life is just fine. Not to mention the fact that weird stuff can happen in a dream that might freak someone out.
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