Bad dreams are a good reason to change your lifestyle.
Persecution, accidents, mortal threat, falling from a height, meeting with monsters - if any of this happened to you in a dream, then you are among 30-50% of people who sometimes have nightmares. By some estimates, 2 to 8% of adults have nightmares regularly.
The word "nightmare" comes from two French words: "crush" and "night ghost". In the old days it was believed that these are the machinations of evil spirits. Slavic mythology blamed brownies, German - elves. Modern scientists know that nightmares are a type of dream that most often occurs during REM sleep. During the night, this phase gradually lengthens, so most often terrible dreams, like any others, come in the morning.
A person who had a nightmare feels intense fear, wakes up, may scream, and his heart pounds. There is a feeling of weakness, stiffness in the muscles, it is not possible to run quickly, to fight off enemies, because there is no strength at all. Having regained consciousness, the victim cannot fall asleep for some time due to the endured horror.
Besides the chase, a common nightmare plot is falling from a height. If a person has suffered a traumatic event, for example, the death of a loved one or a serious accident, this story can be repeated in dreams over and over again.
How to deal with nightmares?
If bad dreams recur on a regular basis, they prevent you from getting enough sleep, and in the long term, this threatens health problems. Constant sleep deprivation increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression - and may even shorten your life expectancy. For many people, nightmares occur spontaneously, in other cases it is the result of an illness or taking certain medications.
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Sometimes it is better to start the fight with terrible dreams right away with a trip to a therapist. Nightmares are often associated with post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps many to cope with the problem, and if necessary, the doctor will prescribe medication. Often nightmares occur in patients with migraines, restless legs syndrome, or obstructive sleep apnea. In this case, you also need to start with the treatment of the underlying disease.
Sleep disturbances and vivid, unusual nightmares can be a side effect of antidepressants. If the problem started while taking medications, you need to see a doctor. The doctor will change dosages or prescribe other medications.
Change the plot of the nightmare
Scary dreams are a product of a person's imagination, which means that you can try to influence them. You need to remember the plot, which is repeated every night, and try to remake it. For example, if in a dream a monster is chasing you, you can imagine how, having caught up, he touches your shoulder and says: "Now you are water" - that is, you were just playing tag. When falling from a height, you can imagine how a large parachute is deployed. A nightmare is a scary tale, and you can think of a happy ending for any scary tale.
There are different methods for transforming nightmares. "Happy ending" can be spoken or drawn. You need to make it sit tightly in your head and "float" during sleep. It is best, of course, to do this together with a psychotherapist.
Fall asleep with positive thoughts
Many, getting into bed, begin to think about what happened during the day, unfinished business and conflicts. Negativity interferes with falling asleep and, in general, can lead to dreams with an unpleasant plot. Any positive thoughts will fix it. Switch over - think about an upcoming interesting event, holiday or vacation. Imagine yourself in a cozy beautiful place, remember the good moments from your life.
Relax
The stressful life of big cities does not in the best way affect psychological well-being in general and the quality of sleep in particular. Fears and negative emotions, especially suppressed ones, are reflected in dreams. If you are in a cycle of stress, you need to specifically look for sources of positiveness. There are many opportunities: yoga, meditation, swimming, an interesting hobby, meeting friends, finally a vacation. Again, a good psychologist or psychotherapist you can trust can help.
Make your bedroom cozy
A separate room should be allocated for the bedroom, if possible. It cannot be combined with a home office - a place that most people associate with stress. The bedroom should be comfortable and calm. Curtains should close the windows tightly enough so that no light comes in from the street. In short, you need everything in this room to maximize relaxation and tranquility. If you have to sleep on an uncomfortable fold-out couch, you should look for the cause of the nightmares in this.
Turn off your TV, computer and gadgets
All of these devices emit blue light, which interferes with the sleep hormone melatonin. Those who like to watch TV at night, sit on social networks or play lose their circadian rhythms, disrupt the structure of sleep. 2-3 hours before bedtime, you need to arrange a "digital silence". Lamps with warm yellow light help to tune the body for a restful sleep without nightmares.
Don't eat at night
After eating, the body receives a portion of "building material" and energy - all this needs to be processed and spent on something. The metabolism increases, the activity of the brain increases, so it will actively generate dreams. Sweet food is especially undesirable at night, because glucose is one of the main types of "fuel" for the brain. Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol are the enemies of sleep. Better to do without them, or at least keep their consumption to a minimum. It is not recommended to drink coffee and smoke 3-4 hours before bedtime.
Go in for sports
Get sound sleep and protect you from nightmares with regular exercise. It is recommended to practice 3-5 days a week. The type of sport does not matter, you can just do morning exercises. It is important that physical activity should occur in the first half of the day. Exercising at night is contraindicated - it can cause sleep problems.
What to do right before bed
Any quiet, relaxing activity not related to physical activity, TV or computer will do. You can read, take a warm bath, listen to pleasant music. Small walks in the fresh air are helpful.