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Nightmare myth.
i've heard that when you have a nightmare its because there's a spirit sitting on top of your chest, and thats why you get up feeling like you cant breathe.. is that true? i've also heard that if you put a cup of water under your bed in the center, it'll drown all the nightmares.
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Maybe give some free advice about: Spirituality?
That is just ridiculous! Dreams come from your subconscience, including nightmares. You may worry about something or fear something, even if you don't know it. You wake up breathless because because you are afraid which speeds up your heart rate. When you are frightened when you are awake, don't you feel the same way? And the water thing? Come on! Try praying to God about your nightmares. Maybe think of things that make you happy before bed.
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I heard that bigfoot really exists...
Can you honestly even acknowledge the existence of these myths?
I don't believe that it has anything to do with spirits sitting on top of your chest because, to begin with, you are having this nightmare. Your brain created the scenario because, as you know, you're the only person dreaming it.
When you interpret the meaning of a nightmare through symbolism, it's very accurate...and it's creepy.
For example, every nightmare I've ever had involved the same two people:
my brother, who has asperger's syndrome, and my mother, who I'm very close to.
I looked into the reason and it's that the people that are in your nightmares with you are the ones you feel that you're responsible for or protective of in some way, or the ones that you feel are responsible for you.
So, in a way, you're either the hero or the victim in your nightmares.
I'm sure you could find many sources either online or at a bookstore for dream interpretations.
*You feel like you can't breathe because of an adrenaline rush caused by fear, which causes your medulla oblongata to sense a lack of homeostasis. Thus, causing your heartrate to rise. From then on, the medulla oblongata (again) senses even more chaos, then you're breathing is faster, causing you to hyperventilate.*
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My opinion: it's an old story from long, long ago... An attempt to explain the meaning of a mystery long before psychology.
The reason for the cup of water goes something like this... Years ago, people believed that water, mirrors, basicly any reflective surface could become a trap for spiritual beings. That's why some people still cover all the mirrors in a house after a person has died there. It's an attempt to keep the recently deceased from stumbling into a place from which they may not escape, and help them proceed to the world beyond.
In my opinion... Nightmares are a way for your subconcious to acknowledge fears that your concious self tries to deny. If you have a lot of nightmares on a regular basis, you might try recording what you can remember and then trying to anaylze the dream for the hidden meaning. For example, whenever I was in a bad relationship I'd usually have dreams involving ex-boyfriends. I figured out after a while that, when I was in a relationship and I was experiencing problems, being an 'escapist' I would try to escape the misery of my current relationship by fantasizing about previous boyfriends-these fantasies being built on memories of 'the good times.' Once the REAL problem was acknowledged and I involved myself in the solution, the dreams usually stopped.
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To date, there is no conclusive proof that would prove the existence of such spirits.
Similarly, there is no proof for the idea that a cup of water under the bed will drown nightmares. Go ahead and do it anyway if it makes you feel any better.
Dreams (good or bad) are caused by brain activity. Contents of one's dreams might be related to one's thoughts, but there is no sure way to control the dreams.
The best you can do to avoid nightmares is to take some time to relax before going to bed.
This should be obvious, but it is also important to make sure you're sleeping comfortably. Don't eat right before going to bed.
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While I cannot prove that what you have said is in fact, wrong... there is also staggering proof that your nightmares are formulated in you brain like all your other thoughts, emotions, dreams and nightmares. You may wake up scared and out of breath, because your heart is beating rapidly.
I think that what you may have heard is folklore, kind of like superstition or old wives tales.
Don't underestimate the power of the human mind. It's very possible for us to make things seem very real. If you tell yourself something enough, you will come to believe it. This could be why when people put a cup of water under their bed, or put a dreamcatcher up, or whatever, you believe that it will work and you can kind of "make" yourself follow it.
That said, I have always had a firm belief in my life.
I don't ever rule out what I cannot prove to be wrong. Yes, we have studied how humans work, and how we have things like nightmares.
But the fact of the matter is, although it seems unlikely that "spirits sit on your chest", I cannot prove that it is wrong.
So the short answer? It's probably not true. It's all a matter of what YOU believe to be true, and I can't have a say in that. I can only give you outside information and advice.
Hope this helped a little.
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