We all speculate about the meaning of our dreams. Are dreams simply replaying the experience of our waking lives? Or do they have a deeper meaning? I discuss the latest sleep science which has shown that dreaming puts your brain through therapy every night while you are asleep. We dream to forget, or strip away, those painful, emotional and traumatic experiences from our memory. Dreaming looks after your emotional well-being and protect you against developing emotional disorders like PTSD. Dreams review your life experiences and cleanse your memories of toxic emotions – a form of sleep therapy. We finish with some strategies to help you sleep better and nurse your emotional health.

Why is movement so important for our mental wellbeing? We now know that many forms exercise can boost our mood, but do you know why? I discuss three ways in which exercise can boost your brain function and mental well-being and finish up with some strategies to help you move. Aerobic exercise promotes the growth of neurons by producing brain chemicals akin to a brain fertiliser. These new neurons can help you learn and change your behaviour to boost your mental well-being.  Exercise improves and prevents depression by targeting all of the brain chemicals known to be involved in depression. It reduces anxiety by producing calming chemicals in the brain and can help you live with anxiety by teaching your brain that the physical symptoms don’t lead to threat or danger. If moving is completely new to you or it’s just been a while, try small doses of exercise that you can achieve. Pick a song that you like, pick a movement to that song, and start moving!