Continuity HypothesisContinuity Hypothesis
A current hypothesis in Dream Function where there is a continuity between waking characteristics and dream characteristics. This hypothesis works to describe the concept of cross over of our personalities and programming from waking state to dream state. This is why those who are more apt to have nightmares may also have a harder time dealing with stress in normal waking life or those who do not distinguish emotions from thoughts tend to all live in a dream world of vivid emotion. All these variables lead to the reason why thin boundary personalities have more vivid dreams and tend to suffer from more nightmares.
The sleep process is greatly effected by changes in the mood state of the dreamer as sleep begins and dreams trend to act like an emotional mediator. When REM sleep sets in, there is an emotional surge that accompanies it, this surge is received by our dream experience, this process seems to play a role in regulating our emotional state when we dream. The Dream networking process resets our levels and sets us in motion for the next day. This thoery is very similar to the the protection of sleep hypothesis about the nature of nightmares being our psychological incapacity to associate/ withstand a dream experience when the heighten state occurs. Tthe emotional sensitivity of our mood at this time disrupts our minds ability to stay dreaming, thus you have experienced a nightmare. The Protection of Sleep is a function that allows the emotinal surge to branch out through our connections without us waking up.