Background of the Study (Draft)

     For years, dreams are considered as one of the most mysterious aspect of human psychology. Until this day, researchers are debating on the real purpose of dreams. The interest in dreams started in the ancient times particularly during the Egyptian and Greek times, where dreams are incorporated as messages from gods. It is also said to be a glimpse of the future. But the most well-known interpretation of dreams is that it is the way of the subconscious mind to show the most hidden desires of the dreamers.

     The formation of dreams is as mysterious as its purpose. According to    an article in Infinite Minds, “The subconscious creates dreams from Schemata you have built up from your experience and understanding of the world.” The article stated that the dream starts with a single object or idea that will eventually link to other objects or ideas until it creates a single scene. And the subconscious will then decide on the emotion of the dream based on the scene created. (http://infiniteminds.info/Lucid-Dreaming/How-are-dreams-created.html)

     Another theory on how dreams are formed states that dreams are mainly created by the brain. Basically dreams start from the brain stem (lower brain) where the stem cells produce electrochemical pulses that starts the state of the dream called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) where dreaming usually happens. Once dreaming starts, the amygdale (middle brain) continues the process. This part of the brain is actually responsible for the emotions. Dreams are considered emotional because most of the dreams are actually driven by emotions such as fear, anger, confusion and anxiety. While the brain is in the state of dreaming, the prefrontal cortex (higher brain) makes things a little complicated because in many instances, the person dreaming does not realize that they are dreaming. That is because our prefrontal cortex is practically sleeping as well. This part of the brain is responsible for the logical and critical thinking of the mind. (http:// www.livestrong.com/article/78256-parts-brain-produce-dreams/)

    Common factors that affect dreams are physical stress, mental stress and experiences. The factors mentioned are said to have an effect on certain hormones and chemicals in the body. Over the years, experiments have been conducted to prove these certain factors. Personal experiences and stress levels are proven to have an effect on the dream formation. Studies have been conducted that showed a concrete relationship between dreams and stress levels. Long-term memories are also said to have a relation in dreams. But there are also theorized dream factors that have not yet fully accepted.

     One such factor is food. Several experiments are done overseas that aimed to prove the relationship of food and dreams. These researches stated that there are certain types of food that can cause bad dreams or nightmares. A study published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology speculated that an increase in body temperature caused by spicy food can disrupt sleep and affect dreams. There was also another study performed in Brighton Town University's Department of the Mind and Body that theorized that the time between eating and sleeping affect dreams. (Sterling, 2011)

         In the Philippines, this theory in the relationship of food and dreams is evident in the old legend about the batibat or better known as bangungot. It has been a common concept in the country that bangungot are extreme nightmares that can cause death. It is also believed that bangungot are caused by excessive eating before sleeping. Again, the concept of food affecting dreams can be considered patented.    

     Though there have been researches that showed that bangungot is actually caused by Acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis (AHP), it is still enough for the researcher to further experiment and attempt to gather more information on how food affects dreams. In the case of the bangungot, the researcher is impertinent about the aspect of amount of food eaten as one of the causes of these so-called nightmares. Aside from the amount of food taken before sleeping, there is also the aspect of kind of food that affects the dreams. In the Philippine setting there are three basic flavors that are distinguishable in our dishes namely: sweet, sour and salty. The researcher is also curious about the relationship of these flavors in people’s dreams.

     Since the effect of food in dreams can be considered too broad for the researcher, the effect on a particular group and the effect of amount and flavor are considered as the main topic for the study.  The researcher also decided to focus on its effect on students.

SSS - Filipino Food Trend

            When I last visited a convenience store with my friends, we had this dare that we’ll eat Korean noodles. Wonder why Korean? It’s because Korean noodles are spicier than local noodles. 

            Sometimes, there are really foods better in different places. Like Italian Pizza, Mexican tacos, and Japanese tempura. In the Philippines, we also have the Adobo and Lumpia. But have you ever wondered what makes these types of food distinctly Filipino?

            I say what makes Filipino cuisine unique is with its taste. Philippine cuisine can be distinguished by the flavors that dominate our dishes. And with what I have researched, the three flavors that can really be tasted in our dishes are sweet, sour and salty flavors.

            According to a blog posted in Filipino Food Aficionado entitled “Distinct Characteristics of Philippine Cuisine”, most of our famous dishes are combinations of sweet and salty flavors such as champorado and tuyo, or sour and salty like unripe mangoes dipped in bagoong.

 

            Personally speaking, I can say that the article is right. Aside from the famous ‘pairing’ of food that we are fond of, you can also see that most of the dishes that we learned from different cultures already have a Filipino touch. Look at our pizzas and spaghetti. They are supposed to be a bit spicy or not that sweet, but we tend to keep it as sweet as possible with the use of banana ketchup instead of the usual tomato ketchup. Look at our sorbets or ice cream. Have you ever tasted Korean ice cream? They’re ice cream is somewhat bland. In fact they taste dull. No offense meant for Koreans out there but I guess that is also one way of distinguishing if you are a Filipino, you have a sweet tooth.

 

            Another thing that I have observed about Philippine dishes is that we always have condiments. And again, the three basic flavors are always present in our condiments. We cant eat fried food without ketchup or for some sarsa. We cant eat steamed food without soy sauce. we cant eat balut without salt. Right? 

 

            Eating is something universal. it is something that everybody can relate to. yes, we may have a unique distinctions about the way we eat or what we eat, but in the end, eating has a universal reason; for survival and pleasure.

 

 

            Eat well!

Bangon + Ungol = Bangungot

“Sige ka, babangungutin ka.”

                When I was a kid, I often hear this from my mom whenever I wanted to eat more during dinner time. Whenever I asked her about this, she would tell me that eating too much can cause death, through what they call ‘bangungot’. This belief is very common to Filipinos. In a way it became a common folklore and a lot believe in this especially the elders and the ones living in the provinces.

                Bangungot is often related to nightmares, since it is believed that a person dies because of the bad dreams that they had. For long I honestly believed this. I was told that a bangungot was often caused by dreams that are really terrifying or in an opinion of a friend of mine; it is when someone dreams of his/her phobia.

If you look into the urban legends of the Philippines, bangungot is also called as a ‘batibat’, a creature that kills people by sitting in their victims so that they would suffocate. According to a site I visited, ‘The Urban Legends’, “It takes the form of an old, fat woman residing in trees, and is very vengeful, most punishments include suffocation. They punish people by cutting the tree where they dwell, and whoever rests or sleeps on the wooden bench or bed which came from her tree will die by sitting over that person. The only way to escape her is to press hardly the thumb toe of that human sleeping on it.” But then again, it is strongly associated with dreams, because while the batibat is sitting on the person, aside from the feeling of suffocation, they are said to dream horrifying things.

                But when I searched the word bangungot in the internet, I saw a single word that serves as the translation of bangungot, which is Pancreatitis. This condition, better known as Acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis (AHP), happens when there is a sudden inflammation in the pancreas. It is usually caused by alcoholism, gall bladder stones and high intake of carbohydrates. It is stated in an article of the Philippine start entitled “Bangungot: A deadly nightmare”.

            According to some researches, men are mostly affected by bangungot. As a matter of fact, according to an article in Stuartxchange, during 1948-1982, 96% of people that die because of bangungot are males. A reason behind this is according to the studies, the usual cause of pancreatitis, is having heavy meals accompanied by alcohol before sleeping. 

        But how exactly does the pancrease kill the person? According to Dr. Phillip Chua’s article “Acute Pancreatitis: ‘Bangungot?’, “It is postulated that alcohol, a lot of fatty foods, a lot of sea foods, or gallstones may play a role in its etiology. Gallstone may get stuck in the bile duct, resulting in a blockage that causes pancreatic enzyme build up, which destroys (auto-digests) the pancreas.” Meaning, because the enzymes that are supposed to be released by the pancreas to help in the digestion is trapped in the pancreas causing it to digest the walls of the organ resulting into auto-digestion.

 

             Reading the article, I realized that the scientific explanation of bangungot is much more serious that the old folklore. And honestly, it sounds more painful. Then again, this shows that eating the right kind of food in the right time is important.

 

            And so it is proven to have no relationship with our nightmares, I’m sure it will continue to be used as a tale that will scare young people. But I honestly have nothing against it. Why? It is because of this legend, children are mindful of what they eat because they don’t want to have such dreams that can lead to their untimely death. In a way it is a precaution, and it is good.

 

 

 

            Sweet Dreams!

A Midnight Snack is a Midnight Trap

            What goes with midnight horror movie marathons? Of course, midnight snacks! Aside from watching terrifying monsters devour defenseless human during midnight, eating while scaring your friends or siblings makes movie marathons better. Besides, there is nothing more relaxing than eating while screaming. In my case, it’s a bonding moment for my family, especially when we are in the mood to scare my little sister.

             But have you ever thought if your midnight snack is to blame if you dream of the horror movie you watched? Well an article entitled “Sweet (Salty, Savory, Sour and Spicy) Dreams: Food and Your Dreams” shows that the food that you eat can really be the reason why you are having nightmares. 

 

            Experiments are made to try and answer if spicy food has anything to do with nightmares. And according to the result, it shows that “…spicy food elevates internal body temperatures, which disrupts sleep. That discomfort could have worked its way into the subconscious and resulted in nightmares.” Therefore, the heat that is caused by spicy food gives an effect in the body that in a way affects dreams. Through this statement we can say that the state of a person’s body is really important and have a specific relationship with the formation of their dreams. This theory was well discussed in another part of the article where they performed another experiment testing if the time of the eating also has a relationship with dreams.

 

            The study was performed by Brighton Town University's department of the mind and body. The experiment was about a group of individuals given a specific diet that includes candy bars, sandwiches and ice cream. The experiment also stated that the subjects were given specific time to eat, to be exact 30 minutes before sleeping. After the given time of the experiment, the result showed not just an increase in weight of the subjects but as well as increase in nightmares. Because of the results the researchers theorized that sleeping after eating can cause nightmares. Sleeping while you are full can cause some disruption in the brain waves that apparently causes bad dreams. And since the food that was given the subjects was mostly unhealthy, the researchers also think that it plays a role in nightmare development.  

 

            But on the contrary, low blood sugar and hunger can also cause nightmares, according to the article. Hunger causes the body to be frantic and in some ways agitated thus the body releases adrenaline that is sent to our subconscious. In relation to this, low blood sugar which is caused by not eating for a long time can cause vivid nightmares.

 

            Analyzing the article, I can say that sleeping should be done in a proper time. Sleeping right after eating causes nightmares. Sleeping when you are hungry can cause nightmares. What should we do then?

           

            I suggest that you have a schedule before sleeping. Going to bed after an hour is enough for your body to digest most of the food that you ate, so you can sleep without being full and at the same time, its still isn’t late for you so you can’t say that you are sleeping with an empty stomach.

            So what are you waiting for?

            Sweet Dreams!

Nightmare's Director

     

   Every once in a while we would fantasize the love of our life and wish that they would visit us in our sleep. But in my case, I am never lucky. Why? That is because I always end up dreaming of the witch instead of the prince. In short, I always have a nightmare.

            I already experienced a lot of nightmares. There is this time when I thought I was left alone. Another time thought I was going to be killed in a massacre. Gruesome right?

            Frankly I was thinking, why can’t I dream of something pleasant for a change? Is it because I was trying hard to dream of something cool that it ends up into something cold? Seriously, what does it take for someone to escape from nightmares? 

            According to an article of Manali Oak entitled “Causes of Bad Dreams”, there are different reasons why we are experiencing bad dreams. It can be caused by trauma, stressed, medication, and the food we eat or by plain imagination.

            Mostly bad dreams are caused by an unpleasant feeling before we sleep. And feeling unpleasant can be caused by various things as well. To give causes, trauma and stress can make people feel unpleasant and often this is the main cause of nightmares. If a person had a terrifying experience that caused trauma, it can lead to nightmares especially when you think of this before sleeping. 

            Another way according to the article is if someone is into prolonged medication especially if they are taking Beta-blockers, tranquilizers and antidepressants. According to some studies, withdrawal of some types of medication can cause have side effects such as bad dreams.

            Another reason is because of low dopamine level in the body. An increase in intake of vitamin B may help. Also, eating spicy and fatty food before sleeping can cause bad dreams according to the article. It is because these types of food can cause an increase body temperature and metabolism that can cause nightmares. The article also suggested that protein-rich, high fat and low carbohydrate diet can cause nightmares.

            But the most interesting reason I had seen in the article was the role of imagination in nightmares. Though the article stated that, “People having high imaginative powers are at a greater risk of having nightmares.” I kept on thinking, what if you are just imaginative? Is it possible that you can have nightmares just because your mind can travel far? Or is it possible that you can create happy dreams with this imagination?

            Yes, the article gave reasons for nightmares but still there are some questions left unanswered that still makes the land of dream as mysterious as ever. So what can we do about it? Honestly, I still don’t know. But I guess I can just keep on doing the one thing I am best at: research and sleep!

            Sweet Dreams!