--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When it comes to the reason why we have…" description: "\"When it comes to the reason why we have nightmares, we're still debating that. It's a new area of research, nightmares. And the way I like to think abo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/shelby-harris-10520_areas_when-it-comes-to-the-reason-why-we-have_1623301.jpg" --- # When it comes to the reason why we have nightmares, we're… ![“When it comes to the reason why we have nightmares, we're still debating that. It's a new area of research, nightmares. And the way I like to think about it is, our brain - we have stress during the day and our brain needs to learn to process this stress.” quote by Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/shelby-harris-10520_areas_when-it-comes-to-the-reason-why-we-have_1623301.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/shelby-harris-10520_areas_when-it-comes-to-the-reason-why-we-have_1623301.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/shelby-harris-10520_areas_when-it-comes-to-the-reason-why-we-have_1623301.jpg) > “When it comes to the reason why we have nightmares, we're still debating that. It's a new area of research, nightmares. And the way I like to think about it is, our brain - we have stress during the day and our brain needs to learn to process this stress.” [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nightmares may help the brain process daytime stress, but the exact purpose is still debated. **In simple terms:** Nightmares could be stress‑processing, but we’re not sure. Key Takeaway Consider stress‑reduction techniques before bed. Themes psychology sleep stress neuroscience Mood reflective curious Type analytical informative When to use this quote - Therapy sessions - night shift workers - students during exams - people with PTSD Key Concepts Dream analysis emotional regulation Questions to Reflect On - How does daytime stress affect your sleep? - What coping strategies could reduce nightmare frequency? A Different Perspective Nightmares can also signal underlying anxiety disorders, not just stress processing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Areas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/areas/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brain Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-stress-302196/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Nightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmare/) [Nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmares/) [Nightmares Debating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmares-debating-302194/) [Nightmares Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmares-way-302195/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-nightmares-302193/) [Reason why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-why/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Never let a few living nightmares get in the way of your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/never-let-a-few-living-nightmares-get-in-the-way-of-your-dreams/) [SONYA PARKER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [You used to be the reason I had a dreams but now your the reason I have nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-used-to-be-the-reason-i-had-a-dreams-but-now-your-the-reason-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I follow my dreams, you'd think they were nightmares the way they scream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-schneider/i-follow-my-dreams-you-d-think-they-were-nightmares-the-way-they/) [Max Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-schneider/) > [“She was a person with her own hopes and feelings and history and nightmares. In her own way she was as lost as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/she-was-a-person-with-her-own-hopes-and-feelings-and-history-and/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [There are people who have repetitive nightmares. And what happens is their brain is trying to process the stress and help their brain actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/there-are-people-who-have-repetitive-nightmares-and-what-happens-is/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [There's some debate as to whether you need to awaken from them because there are some patients who are actually starting to say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/there-s-some-debate-as-to-whether-you-need-to-awaken-from-them/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [Sleeping at the top, nightmares of the bottom. Everybody wanna be fly until you swat 'em.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/sleeping-at-the-top-nightmares-of-the-bottom-everybody-wanna-be-fly/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [“IT was the most horrible, the most repellent thing she had ever seen, far more nauseating then anything she had ever imagined with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/it-was-the-most-horrible-the-most-repellent-thing-she-had-ever-seen/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I'm living a dream I never want to wake up from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiano-ronaldo/i-m-living-a-dream-i-never-want-to-wake-up-from/) [Cristiano Ronaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiano-ronaldo/) > [“I've had recurring nightmares that I was loved for who I am...and missed the opportunity to be a better man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muse/i-ve-had-recurring-nightmares-that-i-was-loved-for-who-i-am-and/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muse/) > [“I woke myself in the darkness, and I knew only that a dream had scared me so badly that I had to wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-woke-myself-in-the-darkness-and-i-knew-only-that-a-dream-had-scared/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“I am coming to see that the sensation of the worst nightmares, a sensation that can be felt asleep or awake, is identical to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-am-coming-to-see-that-the-sensation-of-the-worst-nightmares-a/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Thanks to you I've lost my touch. :P Thanks to you for all the nightmares. :P Cause there's this ringing in my head. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-heideman/thanks-to-you-i-ve-lost-my-touch-p-thanks-to-you-for-all-the/) [Bailey Heideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-heideman/) > [“Screw nightmares. I was waking up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kody-keplinger/screw-nightmares-i-was-waking-up/) [Kody Keplinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kody-keplinger/) > [DON'T LET YOUR NIGHTMARES CHASE YOUR DREAMS AWAY...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dollar-b/don-t-let-your-nightmares-chase-your-dreams-away/) [DOLLAR B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dollar-b/) ## More by Shelby Harris > [ When they \[people with insomnia\] start worrying about not sleeping, I'll say, "Say the mantra to myself; if I don't sleep tonight, I'll likely… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/when-they-people-with-insomnia-start-worrying-about-not-sleeping-i-ll/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [If there's a lot of fear that's going on, if there's a lot of anxiety, it's manifesting itself in your nocturnal world so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/if-there-s-a-lot-of-fear-that-s-going-on-if-there-s-a-lot-of-anxiety/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [We try not using medications initially, and we use something called behavioral therapy for insomnia. This changes behaviors people do in bed, none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/we-try-not-using-medications-initially-and-we-use-something-called/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [And you cycle throughout so that you do about five to six cycles throughout the night. And we spend more time in REM later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/and-you-cycle-throughout-so-that-you-do-about-five-to-six-cycles/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [Night terrors are very different from nightmares. A lot of people will think they're the same, but they're really not. Night terrors - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/night-terrors-are-very-different-from-nightmares-a-lot-of-people-will/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [ We're not really sure why it \[broken circadian rhythm\] continues, but when they become adults, we usually have to treat it because many people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/we-re-not-really-sure-why-it-broken-circadian-rhythm-continues-but/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [Some patients are still having insomnia, but it's seems worse to them than actually it is. So, if they say they're sleep deprived, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/some-patients-are-still-having-insomnia-but-it-s-seems-worse-to-them/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [Sleep paralysis is something that is actually very common. Many people have it, I've had it myself. And what happens is, when you're in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/sleep-paralysis-is-something-that-is-actually-very-common-many-people/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [So you have Sleep Stage One, Two, and then Three/Four. One is a little bit lighter stage of the quiet, non-REM sleep and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/so-you-have-sleep-stage-one-two-and-then-three-four-one-is-a-little/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [The other option we have are medication treatments. So you'll have the treatments such as Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata, and we'll also have Rozerem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/the-other-option-we-have-are-medication-treatments-so-you-ll-have-the/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [So, sleep deprivation, and sometimes an insomnia, which is a little bit of a different form, but just getting a lack of sleep, can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/so-sleep-deprivation-and-sometimes-an-insomnia-which-is-a-little-bit/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [So when it comes to circadian rhythms, it's a clock that's basically programmed in our body. So if you think back to times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/so-when-it-comes-to-circadian-rhythms-it-s-a-clock-that-s-basically/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [There's confusional arousals, there are states in deeper sleep that can happen where people will go and they'll disappear and they'll take on some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/there-s-confusional-arousals-there-are-states-in-deeper-sleep-that/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [So someone who is a child usually goes to bed about 8:00 or 9:00 at night, but then when they have a circadian rhythm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/so-someone-who-is-a-child-usually-goes-to-bed-about-8-00-or-9-00-at/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [People tend to remember their dreams in the morning a little bit better and if earlier in the night, when you're in a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/people-tend-to-remember-their-dreams-in-the-morning-a-little-bit/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) [Explore all 65 Shelby Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) ## More Areas quotes > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The earliest language was body language and, since this language is the language of questions, if we limit the questions, and if we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-earliest-language-was-body-language-and-since-this-language-is/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [It's absolutely fun to walk around and have people respect you. When Michael Jackson did Thriller, I was in the park one day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/it-s-absolutely-fun-to-walk-around-and-have-people-respect-you-when/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [The discrepancy between what actually happened and the version of what happened provided by sources is an enormous gray area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-discrepancy-between-what-actually-happened-and-the-version-of/) [Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/) > [Louisville is a place with no labels. 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It says all necessary measures to be taken to protect civilians and civilian areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/well-the-u-n-security-council-resolution-1973-is-very-clear-it-says/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [When in one area of the world the standard of living and the size of the middle class increases, it is going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lagarde/when-in-one-area-of-the-world-the-standard-of-living-and-the-size-of/) [Christine Lagarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lagarde/) [Browse all 2,612 Areas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/areas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When it comes to the reason why we have nightmares, we're still debating that. It's a new area of research, nightmares. 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