| Date | Significant Day Activity/Experience | Sleep Strategy | Dream |
| 1/10/2020 | Went to the gym for a relaxation exercise | Went to bed only after feeling sleepy | I had a dream that I was in an adventure with my friends, helping them to evade a villain. I managed to deliver my friends to safety. |
| 2/10/2020 | The day was so stressful, I had lost a dear friend | Took a bedtime snack | Had a dream that I was driving a car, saw a cop ahead of me who signalled me to stop. What followed was a serious altercation that saw me speed off with three police cars after me. I was arrested. |
| 3/10/2020 | Watched a boxing match with my friends | Followed bedtime routine | Dreamt that I was at a game show that I had attended several times. The game was being aired on a big screen. The picture kept moving back and forth and the zoom kept shifting sideways. The reporter appeared and announced that they did not have an operator and had to outsource the one who was in charge that day. |
| 4/10/2020 | Played a football match in a neighbourhood team | Avoided naps during the day | I did not have any dreams |
| 5/10/2020 | Read my favourite book, “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene | Did not take my usual evening cup of tea | In my dream, I am facing off James Bond in a fight. He throws the first two punches but I ultimately succeed in knocking him out |
| 6/10/2020 | Quarreled with my neighbour Thomas | Went to bed early even before I felt sleepy | I had a dream that I was being chased by a hideous monster. No matter how fast I ran, the monster appeared to be catching up with me. I saw a pit and jumped in. The pit was bottomless and I kept falling infinitely. I woke up from the dream panting |
| 7/10/2020 | Went to the gym to exercise my muscles | I used my bed only for sleep | I dreamt that I was in a strange world where I did not seem to know anybody. The people were so mean and hostile. Suddenly, the people changed into beasts. One of them charged at me and lifted its paw towards me. As the paw touched me, I quickly woke up from my sleep. |
| 8/10/2020 | I began my first day at my new job | Came from work and went straight to bed | I dreamt that I was in my private jet heading to Iceland for my annual vacation. I had lots of fun and met new people there. The realization that it was all a dream mucked my moods the whole day |
| 9/10/2020 | Went to visit my friend Julius who had just travelled from abroad | I took two cups of coffee a few minutes before I went to bed | I am snaking my way through a crowd when a certain man pushes me. I look at him and realize he is the high school bully, Rick. Rick demands that I see him the following day. I jokingly tell him to kick me right there and then because I would not have enough time the following day. Rick throws one heavy punch at me. Coincidentally, I fall off from my bed to the ground and wake up, delighted it was only a dream. |
| 10/10/2020 | Fatigued after spending the day volunteering at the community hospital. | I only slept after feeling sleepy. | I dreamt that my friend and I were sitting at a nearby university building, talking about our studies. I tell my friend how I had always wanted to be a doctor although my plan did not materialize. Still, I emphasize that I might achieve my goal someday regardless of what is going on at the moment. |
Personal Reflection
From my dream journal, I deduce that the nature of my dreams is significantly dependent on factors such as sleep patterns, physical exercises, fatigue, stress levels and diet. Importantly, I must state that most of my dreams tend to mirror the significant events or activities that I take part in during the day. For instance, if I spend the day engaging in fun activities, I am likely to dream about pleasantries. On the other hand, if I spend the day engulfed in negativities, my dreams tend to be cynical. I can, therefore, assert that dreams mostly mirror one’s dominant thoughts, perceptions or feelings in a particular day. For example on the 8 th of October, I began my first day in my new job, filled with joy and many prospects of finally actualizing my vision and goals for the future. Throughout the day, I imagined what my life was going to be like. When I arrived home, I went straight to bed and dreamt that I was going on vacation in Iceland. The dream appeared to be a regurgitation of the events that had dominated my thoughts during the day. The dream was giving me the perspective of what my life was going to be like now that I had found a new job.
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Moreover, I realize that physical exercises also shape my sleep patterns and by extension, influence the nature of my dreams when I sleep. In the days that I go to the gym, I tend to sleep for longer hours compared to when I do not go to the gym. Also, I tend to sleep early when I go to the gym. This implies that the physical exercises carried out in the gym lead to fatigue, and enhance my body’s natural desire to relax. Most of the body functions want to shut down and this explains why I fall asleep as soon as I go to bed. Besides, being fatigued means the body requires more time to rejuvenate and this explains why I sleep for more hours after exercising. I also found out that there is a thin line between physical health and mental health. Physical exercise enhances mental health as it enables the body to get rid of negative energies both in the mind and body (Taylor, Sallis & Needle, 1985). Physical exercise tends to empty one’s mind of all thoughts. As a result, one sleeps without thinking about anything. In such cases, there is a slim chance that one dreams about something. For example, on 4 th October 2020, I played soccer, which is physically draining. Moreover, I did not take my usual naps that day. When I went to bed later that evening, the only thing on my mind was sleep. My mind was emptied of all thoughts. I did not have any dreams that day. My sleep was so peaceful. There were no interruptions in my sleep like it happened on other nights. I later woke up feeling like one who had slept for two days nonstop. I almost thought I had been drugged. However, it occurred to me that physical exercises can enhance one’s ability to fall or stay asleep (Dolezal et al., 2017). Also, physical exercises rid the mind of any thoughts, making it difficult for one to dream. The emptying of the mind means that the process of subconscious recollection of events or thoughts is not possible because such thoughts, events or memories are temporarily erased.
Another determinant of physical and mental health is diet. The food I eat most of the time influences my sleeping patterns. For instance, when I take coffee, I can stay awake for a longer period during the night. This is because coffee is a stimulant that raises dopamine levels in my brain, thereby enhancing the brain’s capacity to perform its cognitive tasks (Wang, 2013). In other words, the consumption of stimulants enhances brain activity, making it difficult to fall or stay asleep. The restlessness that comes with difficulties falling asleep contributes to the negative dreams when I eventually sleep. For instance, on the 9 th of October, I took two cups of coffee moments before going to bed. I stayed in bed for at least two hours before I could catch some sleep. When I eventually did, it did not feel rejuvenating because I felt like I had forced myself to sleep. My brain struggled to shut down its functions and I used a lot of mental energy to remain asleep. The high mental energy that was expended and the diminished ability to fall and stay asleep might have contributed to the bad dream that I had. I had just met my former high school bully who pushed me. In reality, I was falling off the bed. Also, stress or psychological strain has the potential to disrupt sleep patterns or diminish one’s ability to sleep. Whenever I am stressed, I ponder my mind in search of elusive answers. The endless thinking keeps the brain in a state of activity, making it difficult for me to fall asleep.
In summary, my dream journal illustrates the relationship between physical health and mental health. I sleep for more hours whenever I exercise. Also, my dreams tend to mirror my daily activities, events, memories and thoughts. In future, I intend to encourage behaviours that encourage positivity in my mind to improve my psychological wellness. I will also exercise more in order to have regular sleep patterns. I will also improve my psychological health by avoiding stress factors and watching my diet.
References
Dolezal, B. A., Neufeld, E. V., Boland, D. M., Martin, J. L., & Cooper, C. B. (2017). Interrelationship between sleep and exercise: A systematic review. Advances in Preventive Medicine , 2017 , 1364387. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/1364387
Taylor, C. B., Sallis, J. F., & Needle, R. (1985). The relation of physical activity and exercise to mental health. Public Health Reports (Washington, D.C.: 1974) , 100 (2), 195–202.
Wang, G. J., Volkow, N. D., Wigal, T., Kollins, S. H., Newcorn, J. H., Telang, F., Logan, J., Jayne, M., Wong, C. T., Han, H., Fowler, J. S., Zhu, W., & Swanson, J. M. (2013). Long-term stimulant treatment affects brain dopamine transporter level in patients with attention deficit hyperactive disorder. PloS One , 8 (5), e63023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0063023
