Having a nightmare is almost always traumatizing, but maybe there’s some good in experiencing a scary dream.
In a new video from New York Magazine titled “The Good Side of Bad Dreams,” sleep researchers explain that bad dreams actually serve as a form of emotional release, giving us the opportunity to let go of the stress and anxiety in the process, according to The Huffington Post.
“The things that concern us most when we’re awake continue to mess with us when we’re asleep,” the video explains.
“Your unconscious brain takes your abstract fears and turns them into stories in the form of nightmares.”
About 50 percent to 85 percent of adults report having at least an occasional nightmare while approximately 75 percent of children can remember having at least one nightmare during childhood, according to American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
A 2009 study published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science also suggests that bad dreams are part of the brain’s methods of processing emotions, according to the publication Medical Daily.
Researchers reportedly believe that emotional regulation may actually be the main function of REM sleep, the sleep stage where most dreams occur.
The next time you have a nightmare, just remember, it’s all for a good cause.