What causes nightmares. How can stress trigger frightening dreams. Why do certain medications lead to disturbing sleep experiences. What role do mental health conditions play in nightmare frequency. How can eating habits impact dream content. Which sleep disorders are associated with increased nightmare risk. What are effective strategies for reducing nightmare occurrences.

The Science Behind Nightmares: Unraveling the Mystery

Nightmares are vivid, distressing dreams that often jolt us awake, leaving us feeling anxious and unsettled. While occasional nightmares are a common experience, frequent occurrences can significantly impact our sleep quality and overall well-being. Understanding the underlying causes and potential meanings of these frightening dreams can help us better manage and potentially reduce their frequency.

Research suggests that nightmares may serve as the brain’s way of processing and integrating memories, regulating emotions, and making sense of our waking experiences. Some experts propose that these intense dreams are an extreme manifestation of normal cognitive processes, while others argue they represent a breakdown in these mechanisms.

Nightmare Prevalence and Demographics

How common are nightmares? Studies indicate that approximately 85% of adults report experiencing at least one nightmare in the past year. However, frequent nightmares, occurring once a week or more, affect only 4-10% of the population. Interestingly, nightmares are more prevalent among women, children, and individuals diagnosed with various mental health conditions.

Stress and Life Transitions: The Nightmare Triggers

One of the most significant factors contributing to nightmare occurrence is stress. During periods of heightened stress or major life changes, our dream content often reflects our waking concerns and anxieties. While this may seem distressing, some researchers propose that nightmares might actually serve a beneficial purpose in stress alleviation.

How do nightmares potentially help with stress? The theory suggests that these intense dreams may represent the mind’s attempt to positively cope with daytime stressors. By processing and confronting our fears and anxieties in a dream state, we may be better equipped to handle them in our waking lives.

Mental Health and Nightmares: A Complex Relationship

Several mental health conditions have been associated with an increased frequency of nightmares. These include depression, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Among these, PTSD stands out as having a particularly strong connection to nightmares.

How prevalent are nightmares in PTSD? Up to 72% of individuals with PTSD report experiencing nightmares as a characteristic symptom of their condition. These dreams often involve reliving traumatic experiences and frequently feature themes of helplessness and lack of control.

The Impact of PTSD on Dream Content

For those with PTSD, nightmares can be especially distressing as they often involve painfully realistic recreations of traumatic events. These dreams may reinforce feelings of vulnerability and powerlessness, potentially exacerbating the symptoms of the disorder. Understanding this connection is crucial for developing effective treatment strategies for both the nightmares and the underlying PTSD.

Medications and Supplements: Unexpected Nightmare Inducers

Certain medications have been linked to an increased risk of nightmares. These include some antidepressants, narcotics, and barbiturates. Interestingly, not only taking these medications but also discontinuing or withdrawing from them can lead to nightmare occurrences.

Why do some medications cause nightmares? One explanation lies in their effect on sleep architecture, particularly REM sleep. Medications like barbiturates and benzodiazepines can suppress REM sleep, the stage where most vivid dreaming occurs. When a person stops taking these medications, they may experience a phenomenon known as “REM rebound.”

Understanding REM Rebound

During REM rebound, the body attempts to make up for lost REM sleep, often resulting in longer and more intense periods of dreaming. This increased REM activity can lead to more vivid dreams and a higher likelihood of experiencing nightmares. It’s important to note that any changes in medication should be done under the guidance of a healthcare professional to minimize potential side effects, including sleep disturbances.

The Melatonin Paradox

Melatonin, a hormone naturally produced by the body to regulate sleep-wake cycles, is also available as an over-the-counter sleep aid. While generally considered safe, some individuals have reported experiencing nightmares after taking melatonin supplements. Although research on this potential side effect is limited, one theory suggests that melatonin’s ability to increase REM sleep may create more opportunities for vivid dreams and nightmares to occur.

Sleep Disorders and Their Nightmare Connection

Several sleep disorders have been associated with an increased risk of nightmares. These include insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep-related movement disorders, and narcolepsy. The prevalence of nightmares varies among these conditions, with approximately 17% of people with chronic insomnia and 33% of those diagnosed with narcolepsy reporting frequent nightmares.

When do recurrent nightmares become a disorder in themselves? If nightmares occur frequently enough to interfere with daytime functioning, they may be diagnosed as nightmare disorder, a type of parasomnia. Another related parasomnia is night terrors, which involve intense fear and physical reactions during sleep, such as kicking, flailing, or screaming.

Distinguishing Between Nightmares and Night Terrors

While both nightmares and night terrors can be distressing, they differ in several key aspects. Nightmares typically occur during REM sleep and are often remembered upon waking. Night terrors, on the other hand, usually happen during non-REM sleep and are rarely recalled by the individual. Understanding these differences can help in proper diagnosis and treatment of sleep disturbances.

The Surprising Link Between Late-Night Snacks and Nightmares

Could your eating habits be influencing your dreams? Research suggests a potential connection between late-night eating and nightmare occurrence. In one study, 9.5% of participants reported that consuming food close to bedtime affected the content of their dreams.

Why might eating before bed cause nightmares? The exact mechanism is not fully understood. It’s unclear whether the meal itself directly leads to nightmares or if other factors, such as indigestion or changes in metabolism, play a role. More research is needed to elucidate this relationship and provide clearer guidance on optimal eating times for better sleep quality.

The Impact of Different Foods on Dream Content

While the connection between eating and nightmares is still being explored, some studies have investigated the effects of specific foods on dream content. For example, spicy or fatty foods have been associated with more vivid and sometimes disturbing dreams. This could be due to their impact on digestion and body temperature, which may influence sleep patterns and dream experiences.

Strategies for Reducing Nightmare Frequency

Understanding the potential causes of nightmares is the first step in developing effective strategies to reduce their occurrence. Here are some evidence-based approaches that may help minimize nightmare frequency and intensity:

• Stress management techniques: Practice relaxation methods such as deep breathing, meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation before bed.
• Establish a consistent sleep schedule: Maintain regular sleep and wake times to regulate your body’s internal clock.
• Create a sleep-friendly environment: Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and at a comfortable temperature.
• Limit exposure to distressing content: Avoid watching scary movies or engaging with upsetting news close to bedtime.
• Practice good sleep hygiene: Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and large meals close to bedtime.
• Consider therapy: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) or imagery rehearsal therapy may be beneficial for chronic nightmares.
• Evaluate medications: If you suspect a medication may be causing nightmares, consult your healthcare provider about potential alternatives.

The Role of Dream Journaling

Keeping a dream journal can be an effective tool in managing nightmares. By recording your dreams upon waking, you may start to identify patterns or triggers that contribute to nightmare occurrence. This practice can also help in processing and understanding the content of your dreams, potentially reducing their emotional impact over time.

When to Seek Professional Help for Nightmares

While occasional nightmares are normal, frequent and distressing dreams that significantly impact your daily life may warrant professional attention. Consider consulting a sleep specialist or mental health professional if:

1. Nightmares occur multiple times per week
2. They cause significant daytime distress or impairment
3. You experience persistent fear of going to sleep
4. Nightmares are accompanied by other sleep disturbances or mental health symptoms
5. They began after starting a new medication or following a traumatic event

A healthcare provider can help determine if your nightmares are related to an underlying condition and recommend appropriate treatment options. This may include cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication adjustments, or other targeted interventions to improve sleep quality and reduce nightmare frequency.

The Promise of New Treatments

Research into nightmare treatment continues to evolve, with new approaches showing promise. One such development is the use of virtual reality exposure therapy for treating nightmares related to PTSD. This innovative technique allows individuals to confront and process traumatic memories in a controlled, safe environment, potentially reducing the frequency and intensity of related nightmares.

As our understanding of sleep and dream processes grows, so too does our ability to effectively manage and treat disturbing nightmares. By staying informed about the latest research and working closely with healthcare professionals, individuals suffering from chronic nightmares can find relief and improve their overall sleep quality and well-being.

What Causes Nightmares? Theories & Tips

What Causes Nightmares? Theories & Tips – The Sleep Doctor

Skip to content

Nightmares are dreams that contain distressing themes of fear, guilt, and anxiety. Although nightmares and bad dreams may seem like the same thing, only nightmares cause the sleeper to wake up out of sleep. It’s common to wake up from a nightmare remembering details of the dream and still feeling distressed.

Having occasional nightmares is common. Around 85% of adults report having at least one nightmare in the last year. Frequent nightmares are less common, and only 4 to 10% of people report having one or more nightmares each week. Nightmares are more common in women, children, and people diagnosed with a range of mental health conditions.

There is no consensus regarding why people have nightmares. Researchers suggest that these distressing dreams occur as the body attempts to integrate memories, regulate mood, and process waking experiences. Some researchers hypothesize that nightmares are an intense expression of these normal processes, while others hypothesize that nightmares represent a breakdown of normal processes.

Although many nightmares are idiopathic, meaning they have no known cause, research has identified several nightmare triggers. Learning about nightmare triggers, as well as health conditions in which nightmares are a common symptom, is helpful for anyone looking to reduce the frequency of these frightening dreams.

Stress

Nightmares are more frequent during periods of stress and major life transitions. Research has shown that the content of dreams often reflect sources of daytime stress. While this might be unsettling at first, some researchers suggest that nightmares may actually help to alleviate stress. These researchers suggest that many nightmares represent the body’s attempt to positively cope with daytime stressors.

Mental Health Conditions

Nightmares are associated with a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, general anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nightmares are a characteristic symptom of PTSD, affecting as many as 72% of people with this condition. For many people with PTSD, nightmares involve painfully reliving traumatic experiences and often contain themes of helplessness and lack of control.

Medications and Supplements

Certain medications are associated with an increased risk of nightmares. Medications linked to nightmares include antidepressants, narcotics, and barbiturates. Stopping or withdrawing from some medications can also lead to nightmares.

Numerous medications, including barbiturates and benzodiazepines, reduce the amount of deep REM sleep a person gets each night. When someone stops taking these medications, the body may experience what’s called a “REM rebound“. During a REM rebound, the body attempts to catch up on lost REM sleep. Because most nightmares occur during REM sleep, people experiencing REM rebound are at an increased risk of vivid dreams and nightmares.

Melatonin is a sleep-promoting hormone naturally produced by the body. Many people also take melatonin as an over-the-counter sleep aid. While some individuals have reported nightmares after taking melatonin supplements, there is little research that discusses this potential side effect. One potential explanation is that melatonin supplements have been shown to increase REM sleep, which means there are more opportunities each night for nightmares and other vivid dreams.

Sleep Disorders

Several sleep disorders are associated with an increased risk of nightmares, including insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep related movement disorders, and narcolepsy. Nightmares are reported in about 17% of people with chronic insomnia and 33% of people diagnosed with narcolepsy.

When recurrent nightmares interfere with a person’s ability to function during the day, they may be diagnosed as nightmare disorder. Nightmare disorder is a type of sleep disorder called a parasomnia. Night terrors are another type of parasomnia that involve nightmares. People experiencing a night terror may move their body and show signs of panic during sleep, like kicking, flailing, or even screaming.

Shop the Best Mattresses of 2023

Eating Before Bed

Eating too close to bedtime may increase the risk of nightmares. In one study, 9.5% of people reported that eating late affects the contents of their dreams. It’s unclear if the meal itself leads to nightmares or if there’s something else that explains this relationship.

Tips for Reducing Nightmares

Understanding the cause of nightmares is an important step to reducing their frequency. While occasional bad dreams are unavoidable, several strategies may be helpful in reducing more frequent nightmares:

• Reduce Stress: Decreasing stress and worry may be the most effective way to reduce nightmares. Finding ways to cope with stress, like regular exercise, pursuing hobbies, and taking time to relax may be helpful places to start.
• Express Yourself: Although it may be tempting to ignore stress, research suggests that suppressing thoughts may actually increase the frequency of nightmares. Instead of ignoring worrisome thoughts or dreams, try to find a way to express them. Consider starting by talking to a friend or creating a piece of art that allows your brain opportunities to process your experience.
• Keep a Regular Sleep Schedule: Routine and quality sleep go hand-in-hand. Improve your sleep hygiene by creating a sleep-promoting routine. One of the most important aspects of good sleep hygiene is going to sleep at the same time every day, even on the weekends. You may even consider making some bedroom upgrades to get better sleep.
• Get Support for PTSD: If you experience regular nightmares related to trauma, or if you’ve been diagnosed with PTSD, it’s vital to get support. Treatment for veterans and civilians can help PTSD symptoms and reduce nightmares. Even your loved one or spouse could benefit from support.
• Avoid Meals before Bed: Although the science studying food and sleep is far from certain, many professionals suggest avoiding large meals before bedtime. Instead, have dinner a few hours before getting into bed.

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re experiencing nightmares. It’s important to talk to a health professional if nightmares are happening more than once a week or if they’re affecting your mood and daytime activities. There are several treatments available for recurrent nightmares, so don’t suffer in silence.

References

1. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10895565/
2. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20161576/
3. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17469988/
4. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20817509/
5. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://www.medscape.com/answers/914428-190849/which-age-groups-have-the-highest-prevalence-of-nightmare-disorder
6. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/343590
7. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17498981/
8. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003209.htm
9. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2002-04365-004
10. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30538593/
11. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10779247/
12. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32809548/
13. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14715839/
14. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25325474/
15. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24796285/
16. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25741294/
17. Accessed on February 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23679926/

About The Author

Michael Breus, Ph.D is a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and one of only 168 psychologists to pass the Sleep Medical Specialty Board without going to medical school. He holds a BA in Psychology from Skidmore College, and PhD in Clinical Psychology from The University of Georgia. Dr. Breus has been in private practice as a sleep doctor for nearly 25 years.

Dr. Breus is a sought after lecturer and his knowledge is shared daily in major national media worldwide including Today, Dr. Oz, Oprah, and for fourteen years as the sleep expert on WebMD. Dr. Breus is also the bestselling author of The Power of When, The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan, Good Night!, and Energize!

• Position: Combination Sleeper
• Temperature: Hot Sleeper
• Chronotype: Wolf

Looking for something different?

If you’re ready for more ⟶ sign up to receive our email newsletter!

Your privacy is important to us.

Was this article helpful?

Thanks for the feedback!

Feedback like yours helps us make The Sleep Doctor the most helpful site it can be.

Submitting your Answer…

What your nightmares could reveal about your health

CNN
 — 

What’s your most frequent nightmare? Is it dreaming that you’re dying, or that one of your loved ones is suffering but you can’t do anything about it? Or maybe you’re waking up with confusion and a racing heart, simply glad that the dream ended.

Nightmares are classified as dream sequences that seem realistic and often awaken the person. They are a complex experience. Though fear is the dominant emotion felt during nightmares, a 2014 study reported that sadness, anger, confusion, disgust, frustration or guilt were also common.

The study, published in the journal Sleep, looked at the content of 351 adults’ nightmares and found that the most frequently reported theme was physical aggression, followed by being chased and the presence of an evil force.

But if bad dreams start frequenting your nights, it could be a sign of health problems. An estimated 2% to 8% of adults can’t get rest because terrifying dreams wreak havoc on their sleeping patterns.

In particular, nightmares can be an indicator of mental health problems, such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

A phenomenon called REM sleep behavior disorder, in which a person acts out aggressive dreams by screaming, moving around or jumping out of bed, could also predict neurological diseases like Parkinson’s, according to research.

But some theories posit that nightmares can be a way for our brains to cope with and process unpleasant memories.

“We don’t know an awful lot about dreams or nightmares beyond what Freud and some of the other psychoanalytic and psychodynamic tutors told us,” explained professor Jason Ellis, director of Northumbria University’s Centre for Sleep Research. Freud is famous for his “interpretation of dreams,” in which he suggests that dreams are a representation of our wishes, some of which play out in a bizarre way.

Snacking on bananas, pineapple, and oranges before bed may help you sleep better.

JIHYUN JEONG/CNN

Foods to eat for better sleep

One theory, Ellis said, is that dreams are problem-solving exercises. “Under that framework, we would generally see nightmares as part of a process of trying to deal with emotional material,” Ellis said. During a nightmare, the emotions and problems we encounter during the day are turned into characters and scenarios to help us understand and manage them better, for psychological health.

Generally, “nightmares will occur if someone is having a longstanding problem with sleep,” Ellis said, for such reasons as pain or insomnia.

In Jonny Benjamin’s case, it was anxiety that caused him to struggle with sleep, especially during his 20s.

When his anxiety and stress levels were very high, Benjamin, now 31, of London, would go through periods of insomnia. Sleep “became a real issue. Going to sleep, waking up constantly in the night, with feelings of panic – it was really horrible.”

Struggling to fall asleep again would create a vicious cycle of worry. Fretting about his job performance the next day or whether he would be able to sleep normally the following night – on top of not feeling like his normal self or wanting to socialize because of his fatigue – added further stress.

Shutterstock

Sacrificing sleep? Here’s what it will do to your health

Benjamin said that a lack of sleep, along with things like alcohol and stress, became the main trigger for his mental health problems; he has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. “My mind really struggles when I don’t get enough sleep. If I miss two nights, three nights of good sleep, I can become unwell quite quickly,” he said.

Sleeping pills are a useful method of dealing with sleep problems, Benjamin says. But he found that simpler options such as not using his phone and avoiding social media before bed are also ways to get a good night’s sleep. He follows a bedtime routine, and if he is stressed, writing in a journal helps him deal with his day before going to sleep.

The average human has at least one nightmare a week, said Bill Fish, a sleep science coach and co-founder of the online sleep resource Tuck, but whether they remember it is a different story. “If someone has frequent nightmares, that’s not normal and something that should be treated.”

Nightmares are a core symptom of PTSD, probably because the difficulty with traumatic events lies in people’s inability to process them, says Neil Greenberg, professor of defense mental health at King’s College London. “So what happens is that their mind unconsciously tries to play around with them, tries to make sense of them,” Greenberg explained.

Shutterstock

How to sleep better: 37 hacks

This results in “the unconscious bit of the brain, which may come to the front of the mind when someone is asleep,” including material from the traumatic event that may come out as a nightmare.

Not all nightmares are indicative of a mental health problem, Greenberg warns. People have to look not just at their nightmares but at other symptoms, “which make up together the recipe of a particular mental health problem.”

Studies have found other mental health issues also associated with frequent nightmares, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

There are four stages of sleep. The first three are characterized by slow eye movement and lead up to the final stage, rapid eye movement or REM.

Dreams occur in the REM stage, when skeletal muscles are nearly paralyzed.

A long-term follow-up of people with REM sleep behavior disorder showed that most developed conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia or multiple system atrophy. Another recent study from a research team at the University of Toronto reported that 80% of REM sleep behavior disorder patients developed these conditions.

The study says postmortem evidence shows that some people with the disorder have degeneration in the areas of the brain that control REM sleep. The disorder is potentially caused by the same mechanisms that underlie neurological diseases, it concludes.

circa 1955: A woman crying as she looks at her bedside clock. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images

Three Lions/Getty Images/file

Can nightmares be good for you?

REM sleep is also strongly tied to emotional health. “By looking at how quickly REM occurs, you can tell a lot about a person, including whether they might get depression in a few weeks’ time,” Ellis said.

A usual sleep cycle is 100 minutes, and REM comes between the 90- and 100-minute marks. But “if we see REM coming in much earlier than that – 40, 50, 60 minutes – generally that’s an indicator that somebody might end up with depression in a few weeks’ time,” he said.

Researchers theorize that if REM comes in too quickly, people’s brains don’t have the time to organize their memories and determine which ones are needed, “so it all becomes a little bit messy,” Ellis said.

But, according to Fish, lifestyle also has a role to play in what you dream.

If you start to get frequent nightmares, “the first thing a doctor is going to ask is, ‘has there been a change in your lifestyle?’ ” Fish said. Things like new medications, changes to diet, stress or trauma can all cause an uptick in unpleasant dreams.

Any changes to your body, like cutting out certain foods, are also likely to play into sleep patterns, he added.

Nightmares are also common in people with chronic pain, possibly because they tend to wake more and therefore report more nightmares, Ellis said.

Breathing problems, like sleep apnea or asthma, are also linked to nightmares.

“Essentially, it’s changes your body isn’t accustomed to – and your brain either – and as you sleep, your brain is kind of letting that out in the form of dreams and a lot of times nightmares,” Fish said.

Why do you have nightmares and how to deal with them? — I Love Supersport Blog

If you wake up from a bad dream, try to breathe deeply or read a book until you fall asleep again.

📌 Nightmares can be caused by stress, anxiety or lack of sleep.
📌 To stop nightmares, try to control your stress levels and keep a sleep-wake schedule.
📌 If you wake up from a nightmare, try to breathe deeply and relax until you fall asleep again.

Unexpected events in life, high levels of stress, and changes in daily routine can affect dreams, making them weirder, more vivid, and more memorable.

This article describes the possible causes of nightmares and how to control them.

Why do I have nightmares?

Every night you go through several cycles of sleep. You see most dreams during REM sleep, or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep.

“Dreams during REM sleep are often bizarre, vivid, or bizarre and often involve emotion,” says Stephanie Stahl, MD, Sleep Medicine at Indiana University Health.

The purpose of dreams is still somewhat of a mystery to the scientific community, although in some cases there are explanations for why you might have particularly scary or vivid dreams:

🔎 You are processing new information .

Research shows that dreams play a role in processing the information you receive during the day, consolidating memories, and sorting out new knowledge. In particular, Stahl says that if you focus on a topic before going to sleep, there is a good chance that it will manifest itself in a dream. “If you are obsessed with reading the news or browsing social media about the coronavirus before bed, you are at increased risk of having dreams related to the content of what you saw or the emotions you experienced while doing so,” says Stahl.

🔎 You are working through your emotions .

“There is evidence that dreams are a form of brain self-therapy,” says Alex Dimitriou, MD, psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. “In a dream, memories are formed and stored, experiences and feelings are processed. REM sleep is thought to be especially important for processing emotions.” For example, higher levels of stress can lead to longer REM sleep, which in turn leads to more vivid dreams. There is also a strong association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the prevalence of nightmares.

🔎 There has been a change in your routine .

According to Rajkumar Dasgupta, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine, REM sleep phases become longer and deeper during the night, resulting in the deepest sleep just before waking up. If you sleep longer than usual, then you go through more REM sleep, which can increase the likelihood of nightmares. The opposite is also possible: lack of sleep and frequent lack of sleep can lead to more vivid dreams.

How to control nightmares

Dimitriou says that almost everyone has nightmares from time to time and they are not usually a cause for concern. However, there are several nightmare prevention measures that will also help you calm down after waking up:

💡 Stress reduction .

According to Stahl, how you spend your time right before bed can affect your dreams. So try to refrain from activities that can cause anxiety or mental stress, such as watching a scary movie or reading the news. Stress management strategies such as journaling, regular exercise, meditation, or talking to a therapist can also be used to improve overall sleep quality.

💡 Relaxation .

If a disturbing dream wakes you up in the middle of the night, it can be difficult to get back to sleep. “After a restless sleep, it’s helpful to relax, breathe deeply, focus on slowing your heart rate, and avoid thinking about sleep,” says Stahl. You can also try doing something else, like reading a book, until you feel sleepy again.

💡 Changing the sleep pattern .

Another way to help cope with or prevent nightmares from disturbing your sleep is a technique known as “nightmare restructuring.” It consists of you writing down a history of bad sleep, and then describing an alternative, happier ending that will help “set the mindset for a positive sleep ending before you fall asleep,” says Dimitriou.

💡 Compliance with sleep patterns.

According to Dasgupta, good sleep hygiene will help you improve your sleep quality and possibly avoid bad dreams. This means that you should aim to go to sleep and wake up around the same time each day. This will help regulate circadian rhythms and avoid both excess sleep and lack of sleep.

Conclusions

More often than not, nightmares are due to a change in daily routine, especially a stressful or emotional period in your life. To get rid of nightmares, you can use relaxation techniques before bed and follow a sleep schedule.

If you continue to have disturbing dreams or nightmares that prevent you from sleeping well and resting, you should discuss your sleep patterns and stress levels with your doctor.

Source: Insider

Why do I have nightmares and what to do if they do not go away?

No one is safe from nightmares. They can torment adults and children, men and women, people of various professions and marital status. In order not to jump up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, you first need to understand why nightmares can occur. As it turns out, there are a number of reasons for bad dreams, and some of them are very easy to deal with.

Why I have nightmares

There can be many reasons for nightmares, as a rule, frightening dreams come from physical or mental discomfort:

• Stuffiness, uncomfortable bed, loud music, bright lights, overeating (especially in combination with alcohol) , overwork – these and other sources of physical discomfort can provoke nightmares.
• High temperature. Fever during illness can also cause bad dreams.
• Severe stress due to personal drama or extreme situation. If you can’t solve a problem in any way or forget a long-standing psychological trauma or resentment, the subconscious mind will actively signal this to you at night in the form of nightmares.
• Profession. Both people who are faced with blood, death, cruelty (doctors, military), and representatives of creative professions due to their rich imagination can suffer from nightmares. That is why no one is immune from nightmares.

You also need to take into account other reasons – at first glance, not obvious. The state of anxiety, a feeling of powerlessness, anxiety – all this negatively affects not only the emotional state, but also the general vitality, immunity. Stress significantly weakens the body’s defenses and a person becomes even more susceptible to negative external factors. As a result of this vicious circle, natural protection weakens, a person feels overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, more often “grabs viruses”, gets sick. It is not surprising that nightmares can occur on this soil.

How to ensure a restful sleep and “iron nerves”

“Emotocin” is a solution prompted by nature itself. The complex contains eight B vitamins that help the body resist stress, maintain emotional balance and physical activity during difficult periods, and improve the quality of life. The combination of vitamins is supplemented with sodium deoxyribonucleate – known as a means to maintain and naturally strengthen the immune system. Perhaps this is what can help break the vicious circle! After all, you have to start somewhere!

Among other things, the active substances of dietary supplements have an antioxidant effect, promote normal metabolism.

The complex is easy to take, the tablets have a pleasant taste and simply dissolve in the mouth. The tool has no contraindications, with the exception of individual hypersensitivity reactions to components.

Where to buy

Ozon

dietary supplement. NOT A DRUG

Advertisement. Pharmpack LLC. LjN8JxMNw

Nightmares: what to do

Regular “watching” of horror films in your sleep is a reason to adjust your habits and lifestyle. First of all, create a comfortable environment for a good, restful sleep:

• take a walk in the fresh air in the evening;
• well ventilate the room in which you rest;
• do not overeat at night and do not drink alcohol (at least three hours before bedtime), it is better to drink herbal tea to calm the nervous system;
• take relaxing baths;
• turn off the TV and turn on pleasant, calm music;
• don’t watch horror movies. Fear and a sense of danger are deposited on the subconscious;
• remove objects from the room that distract you or annoy you.

How to get rid of nightmares

How to get rid of nightmares and get back healthy sound sleep, advises psychologist-consultant, member of the Russian Psychological Society Elena Akhromeeva.

— Nightmares are not just a bad dream, but a whole storehouse of useful information about your life and experiences. Therefore, in order to get rid of nightmares, first of all, you need to try to decipher the message about the causes of anxiety and worries that a bad dream contains. Here are 7 tips to help you meet this challenge.

Tell your dream in detail

Tell your dream in great detail in the first person and in the present tense. For example: “I am running up a glass staircase. Suddenly I see a crack. The steps begin to crack underfoot … “.

Pay attention to your feelings and thoughts. For example: “Fear – because I think that I can break. Interest, because the crack began to spread very beautifully along the steps.

Now connect your feelings with the current events that are happening in your life. For example: “I’m thinking about changing jobs, but I’m really scared to quit. But thanks to the dream, I realize that trying myself in a new field is very interesting. Now I will think about my interest, and not about fear.

As we can see, the nightmare helped resolve an inner doubt: I want to change jobs, but I’m scared. The dream helped to find motivation for action – this is interest!

dietary supplement. NOT A DRUG

Advertisement. Pharmpack LLC. LjN8JxMNw

Invent the end of the dream

If you suddenly woke up and didn’t watch the end of the nightmare (or don’t remember it), then try to invent it. Write or say out loud in the first person how you would like the action in this dream to end. The fact is that our psyche does not tolerate incompleteness. If you complete the action, even in the imagination, then anxiety will decrease significantly.

Draw your nightmare

Analyze: what does this picture say? What message does this drawing convey? Who wants to show a picture? Who do you want support from? All these actions will also help reduce anxiety and understand the causes of bad dreams.

Do not look for esoteric meaning in a nightmare

Remember that dreams are just a product of your brain. Do not look for magical or esoteric meaning in your nightmares. During a nightmare, the unconscious part of the psyche tries to cope with the difficult feelings that you encounter in real life. Nightmares can even be considered as a useful function, as they help the unconscious part of the psyche to cope with stress, internal conflicts, traumatic events.

Practice good sleep hygiene

1. go to bed at the same time;
2. observe a full-fledged diet, the last meal should be 2-4 hours before bedtime;
3. physical and mental activity must also be completed 2-4 hours before bedtime;
4. take a short walk before going to bed, get some fresh air;
5. sleep in a dark, cool, well-ventilated area;
6. take care of a comfortable mattress and pillow, as well as comfortable clothes for sleeping.

Learn to lucid dream

Neuroscientists have proven that lucid dreaming (LU) is indeed possible. Lucid dreaming is a state in which a person is aware that they are dreaming and can influence its plot and their actions. By managing your sleep, you can “rewrite” your nightmare.

See a psychotherapist or psychiatrist for a consultation

A specialist will conduct a differential diagnosis. Since hypnagogic hallucinations can be masked under nightmares (when imaginary sensations, for example, images, sounds, touches, thoughts seem real), nocturnal panic attacks. Also, recurring nightmares that lead to insomnia can be symptoms of a depressive or anxiety disorder, PTSD (post-traumatic disorder).

During a nightmare, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system is excited, which should be relaxed Photo: Shutterstock

Popular questions and answers

The most popular questions regarding nightmares are answered by counseling psychologist, member of the Russian Psychological Society Elena Akhromeeva.

What happens to the brain and consciousness when you have nightmares?

– During a nightmare, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system is excited, which should be relaxed during sleep. But during a nightmare, this system turns on and begins to produce stress hormones. As a result, all the senses tense up: sweat comes out, the heart begins to beat faster, the jaws, fists, etc. shrink. Thus, the body does not fully rest.

But for the dream psyche, even nightmares have an adaptive function. The unconscious part of the psyche is trying to cope with difficult feelings that a person is not able to live in real life. For example, anxiety, shame, guilt, helplessness, grief, disgust.

Should I seek help from a specialist if I have nightmares?

Yes. First, you should visit a psychotherapist or psychiatrist to rule out a mental disorder that may be accompanied by nightmares. And then you should contact a psychologist (or psychotherapist) to work out the psychological component contained in the nightmare.

Is it possible to get rid of nightmares if you diligently engage in physical activity, so that later you can “sleep without hind legs”?

– This method does not work for everyone.