Why we have nightmares and how to stop them

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We leave our fear of monsters under the bed as we say goodbye to our childhood, but one can follow the adult and lie on our head.

Nightmares are more common in childhoodbut anywhere from 50% to 85% of adults report having occasional nightmares.

Almost everyone can experience nightmares.

“Dreams usually incorporate things that happened during the day, leading some researchers to hypothesize that dreams and rapid eye movement sleep are essential for memory consolidation and cognitive rejuvenation,” he said. Joshua Tal, a sleep and health psychologist based in Manhattan.

“Nightmares are the mind’s attempts to make sense of these events, reproducing them in images during sleep.”

Nightmares are what American Academy of Sleep Medicine called “vivid, realistic, and disturbing dreams that usually involve threats to survival or safety, often evoking emotions of anxiety, fear, or terror.”

If someone has frequent nightmares – more than once or twice a week – that cause distress or distress at work or among people, he might have a nightmare disorder. Treatments include medication and behavioral therapies.

Dealing with frequent nightmares is important since they have also been linked insomnia, depression and suicidal behavior. Since nightmares can also cause sleep deprivation, they are linked to heart disease and obesity.

Trying these 10 steps could help ease your nightmares and improve your sleep and quality of life.

Nightmares occur during rapid eye movement sleep, the phase during which our muscles relax and we dream. Waking up during REM sleep allows you to remember the dream and the resulting distress, said Jennifer Martin, a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. .

“One of the most effective ways to treat nightmare problems in adults is actually to make them sleep sounder (so) they wake up less often,” Martin said.

A healthy sleep routine generates healthy sleep. Develop one by exercising, setting a regular sleep and wake time, making sure your room is dark and cool, avoiding stimulating drinks in the afternoon and engaging in relaxing activities.

Alcoholic beverages can induce restlessness and wakefulness throughout the night — potentially helping to recall nightmares, Martin said.

“Many people use alcohol as a way to relax and feel sleepy at the end of the day, but it’s really not the right solution,” he added. Instead, try herbal teas and other drinks that help you sleep. If you drink it was the just part of your relaxation routine, chat with your partner or read instead.

A drink more than three hours before bed is fine, said Martin. Pay attention to whether it causes a post-dinner nap and wakefulness at bedtime, and eliminate that drink if it is.

Snacking can boost your metabolism, which makes your brain more active and could lead to nightmares, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

While some people sleep better after eating a light snack, you should stop eating two to three hours before sleeping. If you notice that you have nightmares later, try to avoid night snacks or heavier meals before bed.

Some medications can cause nightmares by interrupting REM sleep.

“If people can identify that their nightmares started or increased when they changed their medications, this is definitely a reason to talk to their doctor” about their medication schedule or alternatives, said Martin.

Melatonin, while a popular sleep aid, influences our circadian rhythm that regulates REM sleep, and can lead to more or less nightmares. If you want to take melatonin for better sleep, work with a sleep specialist to make sure you’re taking it at the right time and not compounding the problem, Martin said.

Progressive muscle relaxation – tensing muscle groups while inhaling and relaxing while exhaling – has been effective in reducing nightmares.

“Nightmares activate the sympathetic nervous system, the ‘fight or flight system,’ the body’s natural response to impending danger,” Tal said via email.

“The body also has an innate relaxation system: the parasympathetic nervous system, also the ‘rest and digest’ system. Progressive muscle relaxation and other relaxation activities can help activate this system.

Write down your worries to get them all out in advance, so they don’t rear their restless heads at night. Journaling can be helpful in relieving nightmares and stress in general, Tal said.

Since our observations at night can appear during sleep, “spend some energy engaging with things that are more emotionally neutral or even positive” before sleep, Martin suggested.

During the pandemic, our daily life also seems quite scary. “Reading the media and then jumping into bed is more likely to trigger disturbing and upsetting dreams than looking at pictures of your last vacation with your family,” he added.

Imagery trial therapy is effective “when chronic nightmares show similar themes and patterns,” Tal said.

Since nightmares can be learned behavior for the brain, this practice it involves writing down the narrative elements of the dream in detail. Then rewrite the dream so that it ends positively. Just before going to sleep, make the intention to dream again by saying out loud: “If or when I have the beginning of the same bad dream, I can instead have this much better dream with a positive outcome.”

“By practicing rewriting during the day, you increase your chances of having it at night while you sleep instead of your nightmare,” Tal said.

Silence is key in a sleep routine, but “for people who don’t like to be completely silent or who are woken up by noises they can’t control during the night”, the background noise “is a good strategy” , Martin said. .

Try a fan or white noise machine or app for several consecutive nights to help your brain adapt, he added.

If nothing works and you still have nightmares, talk to a therapist or sleep specialist.

“Nightmares can be a sign of a bigger problem, like PTSD or a mood disorder,” Tal said. “It is possible to treat nightmares without treating the underlying disorder, but it can also be helpful to treat the symptom and the disorder.

“There has been great progress in psychological treatments for nightmares, insomnia, anxiety and mood disorders,” Tal added. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help; Psychotherapy works and is often short-term and affordable.”