Dreams can be confusing, comforting or downright bizarre. Nighttime stories are deeply tied to our emotions, sleep quality, and mental state. To help us understand what’s really going on when we drift off, we spoke with Andrea Matsumura, M.D., a board-certified sleep medicine physician. Here, she explains what our dreams might be trying to tell us about our subconscious, how daytime feelings influence the dream world, and why wild plot twists actually make perfect sense.
Dreaming is a normal and healthy part of sleep — it happens during REM, the stage when the brain is active even though the body is at rest. “We don’t know exactly why we dream,” says Dr. Andrea Matsumura, “but research suggests dreams help us process emotions, consolidate memories, and work through experiences from daily life.” In short, dreaming is the brain’s natural way of decluttering and making sense of everything absorbed.
The science behind dreams is an active and evolving field with many unanswered questions. Dreams are generally thought to reflect our unconscious mind, but some may be random or just flashes of memory. Others are believed to offer messages from the subconscious mind, providing insight into our current mindset, including unresolved trauma. In other words, while dreams might offer emotional clues, they aren’t a one-size-fits-all diagnostic tool.
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What Causes Unfinished Dreams?
If you aren’t sleeping long enough, or if your sleep is fragmented, your body may not cycle fully into or through REM—which is when dreams occur—meaning fewer or less vivid dreams. Poor sleep raises cortisol and emotional reactivity in the brain, which can make dreams more negative, fragmented, or emotionally charged. It’s one reason why nightmares often show up when stressed or overtired.
Recurring nightmares can be linked to stress, trauma, or certain sleep disorders, and in some cases, they are associated with anxiety or PTSD. Improving sleep hygiene, managing stress, and creating a calming bedtime routine can make a real difference. An occasional nightmare is totally normal, especially after stressful days, alcohol, or a late heavy meal.
Physical Reactions and Sleep Paralysis
Waking up and not being able to move is one of the most unsettling sleep experiences. Sleep paralysis happens when the brain wakes up before the body fully transitions out of REM. Muscles stay temporarily paralyzed and it can come with vivid hallucinations or a sense of pressure. It’s usually harmless but can be triggered by irregular sleep schedules or high stress.
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Ever dream of swimming, only to wake up sweating? Or dream of running, then wake with a racing heart? When a dream aligns with a physical sensation — like sweating or bladder fullness — it often means the brain is weaving real bodily cues into the dream story. It’s generally normal, but if these experiences happen often or interrupt sleep, it’s worth checking in with a doctor.
Keeping a dream journal and reflecting right after waking can help, especially for emotional insight or therapy if that is of interest. Still, she cautions against overanalyzing every dream detail—sometimes the brain is just processing the day. But if you’re curious or working through strong emotions, journaling might bring patterns to light.
