Anxiety, or an anxiety disorder characterized by anxiety or fear, which can be mild or severe. At certain times of life, these feelings experienced by each person. For example, people may be afraid or worry about the exam, medical examination or interview when applying for a job. Anxiety, appearing only occasionally, is perfectly normal. However, for anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder or say when a person is very difficult to control these emotions Emotions and culture: how to decipher the emotional code . Anxiety at such people is more durable and often has a negative impact on daily life.

There are a number of violations, which is the main symptom of anxiety. These include: panic disorder Panic disorder - learn to not be afraid of problems , Phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. Conventional anxiety tend to say, if such a breach as generalized anxiety disorder.

This prolonged disorder in which a person experiences anxiety over a wide range of situations and problems, and not because of any particular event.

People with increased anxiety feel anxious most of the time and often can not remember when the last time they felt more or less relaxed. In anxiety disorder can be both psychological and physical symptoms. They vary from person to person, but most often observed in these patients irritability Irritability - you try to control my temper   and anxiety, and problems with concentration, and / or sleep Dreams: how to understand our dreams .

Anxiety disorders affect women slightly more than men; They occur most frequently between the ages of 20 and 30 years.

Psychological symptoms of anxiety

Anxiety can cause a change in behavior and perception. The most common psychological symptoms of anxiety disorders:

• Anxiety;
• Feeling of fear;
• Constant feeling "on edge";
• Difficulty concentrating;
• Irritability;
• Impatience;
• Man easily distracted from any class.

These symptoms often cause patients to avoid social contact to avoid feelings of anxiety and fear. Jobs (even favorite) also causes great concern, often patients seek as often as possible to take sick leave or looking for other reasons to go to work less. These actions are likely to lead to increased anxiety and Bole adversely affect the self-esteem of man.

Physical symptoms

The most common physical symptoms of anxiety:

• Dizziness;
• Drowsiness and fatigue;
• Palpitations (a very frequent episodes of palpitations);
• Pain and tension in the muscles;
• Dry mouth;
• Increased sweating;
• Shortness of breath;
• Stomach ache;
• Nausea;
• Diarrhea;
• Headache;
• Excessive thirst;
• Frequent urination;
• Painful menstruation and / or absence of menstruation for one or several months;
• Sleep problems (most commonly, insomnia).

If you notice these symptoms, and / or if the anxiety affects the quality of your life as soon as possible to see a doctor.

Causes

As is the case with the majority of states involving mental health, anxiety exact cause is unknown. Some patients have anxiety disorders develop for no apparent reason, while others - after a traumatic event.

Neurotransmitters

Some researchers have suggested that the development of anxiety affect two neurotransmitters - serotonin and norepinephrine. An imbalance of these chemicals in the brain can greatly affect the mood and increase the likelihood of developing anxiety disorders.

The combination of reasons

At the same time, other experts believe that only one particular brain chemistry can not be a cause of anxiety. Most likely, it is a violation develops under the influence of many factors, including:

• Biological processes in the body;
• Genetics;
• Environment (these include environmental, social, cultural, economic, and other conditions);
• Personal experience.

Dreaming refers to any images that people perceive during sleep - visual, auditory, and so on. Dreams can be very vivid and distinct, or blurred; in a dream a person may experience a whole spectrum of emotions Emotions and culture: how to decipher the emotional code   - From joy to anger and horror. Finally, the dream may be simple and understandable, or - confusing and ambiguous. They occupied the minds of philosophers for thousands of years, but only recently have they become the subject of scientific research.

Why and for what we dream?

As an answer to these questions has been developed a lot of theories, but scientists are still unable to reach a consensus. Someone thinks that dreams do not perform any functions; Other experts believe that they are necessary for normal physical and mental condition of the person. Here are some of the most common theories of dreams.

• Psychoanalytic theory of dreams. Sigmund Freud believed that dreams are expressions of unconscious desires, thoughts and motivations. According to his theory, people are driven by aggressive and sexual instincts that are forced out of consciousness, but manifest themselves in different forms, including - manifested in the form of dreams. In his famous work "The Interpretation of Dreams" Freud wrote that dreams - is disguised exercise suppressed desires. He singled out the manifest and latent content of dreams. First - it is explicit images as well as sounds and sensations that fill the dreams and the latent content - is the hidden psychological meaning of dreams. Freud's theory of dreams contributed to the popularity of the interpretation of dreams Interpretation of Dreams: Mind Games , But studies failed to confirm that the manifest content of dreams is effectively connected with any suppressed desires.
• The theory of the activation and synthesis in 1977 offered Allan Hobson and Robert McCarl .  According to this theory, during REM sleep activates the limbic system, which is involved in the regulation of emotions, sensations and memories .  Brain synthesizes and interprets this internal activity, trying to find the value of the signals which occur during activation of the limbic system, and thereby the person is dreaming .  In other words, according to the theory of activation and synthesis, dreams are a subjective interpretation of the signals that the brain produces during sleep .  This Hobson does not believe that dreams are meaningless .  On the contrary, in his opinion, the dream - a wonderful creative process, in which the chaotic elements of creating new ideas .  Although most of these ideas may seem absurd, some of the images in dreams inspire people and prompt them to solve urgent problems, so the time that a person spends in a dream, can not be considered wasted .

Other theories of dreams. There is a theory according to which the dream - is the result of the fact that the brain during sleep is trying to interpret external stimuli: the sound of a passing car outside the window, a creaking door, and so on.

Proponents believe another theory that dreams thanks to the brain organizes the information and gets rid of the information collection, to prepare for a new day.

Interesting facts about dreams

• Everyone dreams. Many people do not remember them, but see them all without exception.
• Approximately six years of his life a person spends 'watching' dreams.
• A man can dream, not only in the phase of rapid eye movement.
• People who suffer from personality disorders, are less likely to have dreams.
• During sleep, the brain is more active than during wakefulness.
• One sees an average of 3-7 dreams per night. In total, you have dreams for 2-3 hours every night.
• 90% of dreams forgotten in the first minutes after we wake up.
• Men are more likely to dream about men than women, and women are equally likely to dream of both sexes.
• Rejection of drugs can lead to more vivid dreams. People who give up alcohol and cigarettes, also sees a bright, realistic dreams and nightmares.
• One can not dream, when he snores.
• With some training people to thirty minutes can see the lucid dreaming.
• Children under three years do not dream about themselves.
• Women are more likely than men experiencing deja vu effect in sleep (feeling as if you were in the dream).
• During sleep paralysis, some people have seen in a room of strangers and heard voices.
• Nightmares often dream of children than adults.
• Blind people have dreams. If they are blind from birth, they dream sounds - if not, they see in dreams that have memorized, while they were sighted.
• The lower the temperature in the bedroom, the worse your dreams.
• For most people, except for the blind from birth, dreams are the visual images. Sometimes people also dream of sounds and touch.
• Dreams do not obey the laws of the real world. A man in a dream can instantly change the geographic position and to do what he can not do in real life - for example, fly.
• Most of the action takes place in a dream room - but not where there is a man who has a dream. Most often, the person in the dream is in the living room. People rarely see in dreams the place of work or study.
• Usually actors dream is the dreamer himself, and two others.
• People rarely dream of celebrity. Most often we see in dreams important for us people, especially those with whom we are currently difficult relationship.
• People also rarely dream of simple everyday things - washing, washing dishes, and so on.
• Usually people do not dream of the happy event. The three most common emotions that people experience in dreams - anger, sadness and fear.
• The most common events that one sees in a dream, tooth loss, falling or flying, late for exams or other important event, chase or attack. In all corners of the world, millions of people have noted that they had seen in dreams such events.
• Cross-cultural studies have shown that our dreams reflect typical for our country and culture events.
• The main topics of the dreams of men and women differ significantly. For example, women often have dreams of children, family and home, and men dream about strangers, violence, sex, various achievements, travel and sports.