Dreams Can Be More Intense And Emotional When Sick, Why?

Illustration of sleep (Pexels/Polina)

JAKARTA - When it hurts like a fever, the body usually feels weak, heavy head, and sleep is also not calming. In this condition, many people also claim to have strange, tense, and even scary dreams.

This phenomenon is known as fever dreams or fever dreams. Quoted from Verywell Mind, on Thursday, November 20, 2025, for some people, dreams of fever feel so real and repetitive. These dreams tend to be more intense and emotional, as well as those who experience them even as if they are caught in the rounds of the same story.

"Dreams of fever are usually more intense, emoistical, and often have negative nuances," said neuroscientist and sleep expert Chelsie Rohrscheib.

This happens because fever dreams arise due to increased body temperature affect the way the brain works. Especially in the part that regulates emotions and body temperature, namely hypotalamus.

When the body has a fever, the nervous system works extra to fight infection, and this can 'disrupt' the normal sleep process, especially in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase, the stage of sleep where dreams occur most often.

"Changes in the brain can affect the center of emotion and activate a fight or flight response, so dreams that arise tend to be scary," he said.

It should also be noted that nightmares can actually appear at any time, which is triggered by stress, lack of sleep, or trauma. However, dreams of fever are easier to remember, because the body is often created due to discomfort, the strange dream pieces stick strongly to the memories after waking up.

Meanwhile, until now there is no definite way to prevent fever dreams. However, improving the quality of sleep when sick can help prevent it.

Starting from resting early and avoiding staring at the screen like a cellphone for too long so that the brain is not too active before sleep. Then use the humidifire to breathe more comfortably, consume healthy foods, and create a calmer room atmosphere.