# Sleep and Dreams > General Dream Discussion > Nightmares and Recurring Dreams >  >  sleeping on the left side leads to nightmares?

## Flashdance

I remember once, during a discussion about sleeping with my dad, he said that he doesn't sleep on his left side, because that gave him nightmares. I was surprised he mentioned it, because that is something that I also experience.

I can't remember his reasons, but personally, I think is physiological. This is what I think: sleeping on the left side puts pressure on the heart, and the body fires off a "distress signal" to the brain, which creates a nightmare, causing the sleeper to toss and turn(or wake up) and thereby taking pressure of the heart.

So maybe nightmares have a physiological component that is body-centric.  :wink2:

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## panta-rei

Could be psychological as well.

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## The Cusp

> I remember once, during a discussion about sleeping with my dad, he said that he doesn't sleep on his left side, because that gave him nightmares. I was surprised he mentioned it, because that is something that I also experience.
> 
> I can't remember his reasons, but personally, I think is physiological. This is what I think: sleeping on the left side puts pressure on the heart, and the body fires off a "distress signal" to the brain, which creates a nightmare, causing the sleeper to toss and turn(or wake up) and thereby taking pressure of the heart.
> 
> So maybe nightmares have a physiological component that is body-centric.



That's caused by the Right Brain/Left Brain split.  The left brain (right side of your body) tends to produce sequential action dreams.  The Right brain produces more abstract dreams.

Sleeping on your side makes more blood flow into on half of your brain, making that hemisphere become dominant in your dreams.

I first noticed that one night when I kept waking up because of the heat, and I would roll over to find the cool side of the pillow.  My right side dreams were all fighting monsters, the left side were all encountering wizards who would show me secret warp locations.  (It was influenced by a video game)

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## panta-rei

> That's caused by the Right Brain/Left Brain split.  The left brain (right side of your body) tends to produce sequential action dreams.  The Right brain produces more abstract dreams.
> 
> Sleeping on your side makes more blood flow into on half of your brain, making that hemisphere become dominant in your dreams.



Wait... Then wouldn't sleeping on your _left_ side be the one that causes nightmares (more likely to cause, that is.) Since then, blood would be on the left side of the brain, the one you claim produces action dreams.

Or do you mean by left/right brain as the side they control? (the opposite.)

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## The Cusp

> Wait... Then wouldn't sleeping on your _left_ side be the one that causes nightmares (more likely to cause, that is.) Since then, blood would be on the left side of the brain, the one you claim produces action dreams.
> 
> Or do you mean by left/right brain as the side they control? (the opposite.)




Lol, I have to look up what side is which every time I talk about it.  The Left brain is located on the right side of the body.  THe brain sides are named for the sides of the body they control.  So even though the right brain is located on your left side, it still controls the right side of your body.

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## panta-rei

Got it. I was a little confused by the whole left side opposed to left side brain opposed to left hemisphere opposed to left brain. You see my confusion...

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