Why have nightmares and how to deal with them? A psychologist has given 6 reasons

psychologist

A nightmare can be defined as a terrible, frightening dream, which remains in the memory, in great detail. Sometimes it is so realistic that for some time after waking up it is not always possible to clearly draw a line between the real world and the one that is seen.

The plots of nightmare dreams largely depend on the personal characteristics of people. Most often at the heart of night visions are stories about death and dead people, serious illnesses and injuries, natural disasters and catastrophes.

In dreams, people can observe how they get into a dangerous or at least very unpleasant situation: it can be a fall from a great height, the loss of a house, for example, as a result of a fire, the breakdown of a car, computer or phone. All these plots can be seen as expressions of deep-seated fears, anxiety, worry.

During the night a person goes through several phases of sleep. Each of them has its own duration – an average of one and a half hours. Bright memorable dreams and nightmares more often come closer to the morning, in the period of REM sleep. That’s why they are more often remembered.

What are bad dreams associated with?

In modern psychology and medicine, nightmare dreams are considered as a reaction of the human body to psychotraumatic events, post-traumatic stress disorder and severe stress. That is, people work through in a dream what they have seen or heard, what bothers them the most.

In addition, nightmares can be caused by other factors.

Character type

Problems with night rest depend on a person’s temperament. For example, melancholics have nightmares more often than people with other mental properties. Creative, sensitive, receptive natures also have a higher risk of sleep disorders due to excessive emotionality. The more different feelings a person experiences during the day, the more bizarre strange plots he will be able to see overnight.

Poor health

In addition, some physiological factors can lead to a deterioration in the quality of sleep. Nightmares can occur with a strong increase in body temperature, since during sleep there is a deterioration of thermoregulation. This is why nightmares often visit patients.

Taking medications

Medications: antidepressants, antibiotics, hypotonic agents also affect sleep disorders. In people with diabetes, nightmares can be the result of hypoglycemia when taking sugar-reducing drugs.

Eating disorders

Alcohol consumption; poor diet, particularly the intake of fatty and spicy foods, especially shortly before falling asleep, can affect dreams and cause nightmares.

Pregnancy

Girls in a position often complain about scary dreams. This is due to fluctuating levels of hormones in the blood and increasing anxiety before expecting childbirth.

Information load

Scrolling through the news feed before going to bed, reading horror stories increase concentration on the information received, and there is a possibility that the new knowledge gained will manifest itself in dreams. Strong emotions are thus processed in the brain.

How to determine that nightmares are dreaming?

The primary signs of haunting horrors include sweating, sudden eye movements under closed eyelids, and twitching of limbs. Some may scream or make loud noises.

Usually, horror dreams end with an abrupt awakening accompanied by fright. At this point, a person should be alone for a few minutes, give time for final awakening and comprehension of the state.

People who have frequent recurring nightmares, it is important to pay attention to the quality and time allotted for rest.

Methods to combat nightmares

Revise your daily routine

Since frightening dreams are most often a reaction to traumatic events, two, and ideally three hours in advance it is better to refuse to watch horror movies, video games, especially in the genre of horror, reading news and articles that can take out of psychological balance.

It is useful to lie down at the same time, and it is better if the sleep will be given as much time as possible between 22:00 and 2:00. It is during this period that the body recovers the fastest.

Observance of diet

It is harmful to overeat at night and drink a lot of fluids. Try not to eat three hours before bedtime, especially heavy and harmful food. For dinner, especially if it takes place before going to bed, you can prepare a light vegetable salad.

Pay attention to sleep hygiene

Rest will be more qualitative in a well-ventilated room and in a comfortable bed. By the way, it is recommended to use it only for its intended purpose, and not to spend most of the day in it with a laptop, smartphone or TV remote control. A relaxing bath or shower shortly before bedtime can help you fall asleep.

Establish rituals

Evening traditions such as reading, meditation, and soothing music can also improve sleep. They are individualized for each person, the main thing is to try to refuse to look at work correspondence in the late evenings. It is desirable not to look at messengers and social networks at all for an hour or two before going to bed.

Physical activity

Much of what a person does during the day can affect the quality of sleep, in particular, one should not forget about walking and regular exercise.

If compliance with these rules and a healthy lifestyle do not allow you to get rid of nightmares, and unpleasant dreams reduce the quality of life, it is necessary to consult a psychologist or psychotherapist. In this case, only a specialist will be able to give recommendations to reduce anxiety and prescribe appropriate treatment.