Social Media Now Literally the Subject of Your Nightmares

Social media-related nightmares can act as stressors, disrupting users’ sleep cycle and causing awakenings during the night.

The more time you spend scrolling Facebook, TikTok or Instagram, the greater the possibility of having unpleasant dreams, or even nightmares.

According to a research paper published in the BMC Psychology in March, people who spend more time on social media are “more prone to nightmares related to social media.”

These are defined as dreams about social media, such as cyberbullying, trolling, online hate, and cyberstalking, which are dominated by negative emotions. They are primarily characterised by themes of helplessness, loss of control, inhibition, victimisation, and making mistakes.

The study, which surveyed 595 Iranian adults on their use of social media, found that the most common nightmares involved the “inability to log in to social media and the disruption of relationships with other users.”

Researchers noted the intensity of social media use predicted the frequency of social media-related nightmares. These nightmares were linked to “increased anxiety, lower peace of mind, poor sleep quality, and nightmare distress.”

This is similar to other nightmares associated with serious psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts.

“Social media-related nightmares have the potential to function as stressors, disrupting the sleep cycle of users and potentially causing awakenings during the night,” the study said.

“Moreover, these nightmares may compromise the functionality of the sleep period, influencing processes such as the consolidation of information collected throughout the day.”

“Consequently, the disruptions arising from social media-related nightmares could contribute to a lowered cognitive and affective well-being in waking life.”

The study was conducted by a group of researchers from Australia, U.S., Iran, and Hungary. It used a Social Media Nightmare-Related Scale (SMNS) to quantify how social media could contribute to our nightmares.

Reza Shabahang, researcher from the department of psychology in Flinders University, said while social media-related nightmares are relatively rare, people who use social media more during their daily lives are more likely to experience them.

“This study provides insights into the complex relationships between social media use, mental health, and sleep quality,” he said, according to Flinders University News Desk.

Mr. Shabahang also called for a responsible and mindful use of social media to mitigate the occurrence of social media-related nightmares.

“With the rapid advances in technology and media, including artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality, along with the increasing dependency on these technologies and deeper integration, it is anticipated that dreams featuring technological and media content will become more frequent,” he said.

“Future studies have the potential to expand the scope of this exploration, delving into areas such as nightmares related to the perceived dangers of AI.”

Social Media, Sleep, Mental Health

A plethora of research has shown that extensive use of social media can affect sleep directly and indirectly, which may lead to low life satisfaction in problematic social media users.

A 2020 study published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence revealed that social media use can lead to worry, depressive rumination, and co-rumination, which can potentially deteriorate users’ peace of mind.

It found that for children experiencing bullying, rumination may disrupt other forms of coping—such as positive cognitive distractions—that could instead lessen the distress.

The study noted some of the beliefs and concerns stemming from social media use include fear of rejection, a desire for social approval, and fear of vulnerability in social media.

Meanwhile, nightmares have been found to be intertwined with psychological problems, such as depression and anxiety, and can lead to anxiety disorders and suicidal thoughts.

Researchers have explored various nightmare themes. A 2014 study found there were 12 main themes of nightmares, including physical aggression, interpersonal conflicts, failure or helplessness, health-related concerns and death, evil forces, accidents, disasters and calamities, apprehension, being chased, insects, and environmental abnormalities.
Another study in 2018 added themes of death/injury to others, falling, being lucid, examination, sexual aggression, being the aggressor, and suicide.

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