Each of us at least once in our lives had nightmares, and sometimes it became so scary that we didn’t want to fall asleep anymore. However, psychologists say that everything can be fixed, and share tips on how to get rid of bad dreams.

Causes of Nightmares

Psychologists identify several main reasons why you may be tormented by nightmares.

The most common is associated with excessive worries and stress. Regular overwork, nervous strain and depression can be accompanied by restless sleep and unpleasant pictures.

Another reason for the occurrence bad dreams are emotional trauma received in early age. If the child witnessed a certain event that was related to negative emotions, then the subconscious with the help of dreams is trying to cope with the resulting stress.

Strong emotional shock can happen in adulthood. Having witnessed an accident or violence, a person may experience scary dreams weeks and years. Nightmares suggest that you need to deal with this issue, and not drive emotions inside yourself.

It also affects restful sleep. external stimuli or overeating. Psychologists also recommend impressionable people to refrain from watching horror films.

To begin with, you must understand that nightmares are not to be feared. After all, it is through them that the subconscious is trying to show a problem that requires an urgent solution. Having dealt with the issue that concerns you, you will breathe more freely, and the nightmares will stop by themselves.

The easiest way to understand what's going on is to write down your dream on paper immediately after waking up. While you describe all the details, you may receive an answer and the necessary solution. In addition, when we write, our fingers take the form of mudra, which is responsible for concentration.

It helps to understand your emotions the opportunity to discuss a dream with someone from your loved ones. While talking and describing the details, you may get an idea why this is happening. If it is not so easy to find an interlocutor for such a story, say your dream out loud. This helps a lot too.

If during the description of a nightmare you could not understand the reasons for its occurrence, then psychologists recommend applying the following technique. Use your imagination as you tell the story and end your dream in a positive way. Thus, the subconscious will concentrate on a happy ending, which will help solve your problem.

For a deeper study and quick results, there is drawing therapy. First you need to draw an image of the worst thing that you saw in a dream. You can apply certain shapes or simple strokes that come to mind. After you identify your fear, imagine what can harmonize this picture. Think about what colors or lines will correct the drawing and make it more attractive and comfortable.

The content of the article:

A nightmare is a rather significant problem that prevents a person from fully resting after the wakefulness phase. If such a fact is not regularly repeated, then you should not worry about this. With systematic nightmares, it is urgent to get rid of a problem that negatively affects the psyche of people.

What is a nightmare

Dream transformation is a branch of the study of psychology that explores the motivation for the appearance of frightening images in the subconscious. In some cases, experts consider this concept a symptom of restless legs syndrome and apnea (stopping breathing movements).

Nightmares in a dream, some people confuse with the horrors that arise in the mind of a person. The second aspect is formed during a deep immersion in the realm of Morpheus. It occurs during the first hours of falling asleep and in most cases is not fixed by the mind of people. With a strong sense of fear, a superficial analysis of a dangerous situation occurs without the transformation of vivid pictures and images in the imagination.

Unlike horror, nightmares usually form during REM sleep, which lasts about 20 minutes. Such manifestations are dangerous because during this period the subject feels like a real participant in the events. Upon awakening, people clearly remember what they saw in a dream, and this often becomes a traumatic factor for them.

Causes of nightmares in a dream

• Psychological trauma. An offensive word from relatives or an insult from strangers often deals a significant blow to a person's pride. In the daytime, he may not think about the conflict that happened, but during sleep, the experienced unpleasant moments may return in the form of a nightmare.
• physical injury. After suffering an injury, many people in a dream scroll through a similar situation that happened to them. This may be a fall from a height, an accident on the water, a car accident or aggression from an inadequate person.
• Introduction to media data. Television quite often informs the population about the tragic events that are taking place in the world. Cinema also tries to impress people, after watching which some viewers (especially children) have nightmares.
• Phobia. Suspiciousness, which has become a neurosis, often leads to the fact that a person cannot sleep peacefully. The fear formed in him is transformed at night into frightening images.
• Wrong way of life. Overeating at night, abuse of nicotine and alcohol often provoke nightmares. This is also facilitated by a failure in the daily routine, when the wakefulness phase significantly exceeds the sleep period.

Note! The voiced causes of nightmares clearly depend on the person himself. It is he who is the main scriptwriter of what is being formed in his mind in this period of time.

Ways to deal with nightmares

In order to eliminate the factor that interferes with the full life of a person, it is necessary to seek the advice of a specialist. Each situation is an individual case, so it is a professional who can understand its origins and consequences.

Drug treatment for nightmares

1. Medications. Prazosin is very often prescribed to people with restless sleep after examining their physical and mental state. It is worth remembering that it is antidepressants and drugs to regulate blood pressure that can provoke the appearance of nightmares.
2. ethnoscience. With periodically recurring terrible dreams, it is necessary to use drugs or tinctures based on medicinal herbs. In this case, a decoction of hawthorn, wild rose, St. John's wort, chamomile and motherwort will help. For the greatest effect, experts recommend using a collection of all the listed plants and berries. Valerian root, known in medicine, can be replaced with blue cyanosis, which is 10 times more effective as a sedative than known sedatives. Phytopreparations after cryotreatment in the form of Nervo-Vita and St. John's wort P will also help as an aid in the event of night mosquitoes.

Nutrition tips for avoiding nightmares

• Consumption of fruits and vegetables. After 19.00 it is undesirable to eat, but it is not necessary to deny yourself literally everything when you feel hungry. Eaten fruit (banana, citrus fruits, apple) or vegetables (cabbage, carrots, beets) will not allow the stomach to fill up enough to cause further problems. The exception is avocados, which are high in calories and fat, making taking this fruit at night undesirable.
• Careful selection of drinks. A glass of warm milk or a decoction of mint will make a person's sleep deep and calm. At the same time, you can’t use coffee, strong tea, energy drinks and carbonated drinks, which additionally stimulate people’s brain activity, if you want to relax.
• Refusal of heavy food. Meat, except for rabbit, chicken and turkey, is absorbed by the human digestive system for a long time. Therefore, it is not recommended to eat dishes from pork, lamb and beef at night. If there is a desire to enjoy a salad, then it is better to fill it with yogurt, and not with sour cream or mayonnaise.
• Refusal of foods containing sucrose. Nutritionists insist that eating such food before bedtime can provoke the onset of nightmares. Minimize the use of foods such as chocolate, sweets, fruit cocktails and oatmeal.
• Restriction in the use of pickles and smoked meats. Usually, preservation and meat processed in a special way cause increased thirst, which then makes it impossible to rest peacefully at night. Broken sleep often causes nightmares, which, with such gastronomic addictions, will be repeated from day to day.
• Refusal of flour and confectionery products. Adhering to this recommendation is not only for those people who monitor their weight. Such products are digested for a long time, so they become a dead weight for the stomach. As a result, a person is a light sleeper and sees nightmares during the fast phase of a night's rest.
• Refusal of alcohol. There is an erroneous opinion among the people that strong drinks contribute to good sleep. In fact, when using them, a person quickly relaxes, but in most cases he has nightmares. This happens due to the inhibition of the metabolic process in the brain with its obvious oxygen starvation.

Important! People in adulthood should refuse to eat five hours before bedtime so that they are not visited later by nightmares with a full stomach. If the meal has already been completed, then nutritionists advise drinking a glass of mineral water without gas, prematurely adding a couple of drops of lemon juice to it.

Psychotherapy to eliminate nightmares in a dream

1. Elimination of external stimuli. For some people, even subdued light makes it difficult to relax at night. At the same time, a leaky faucet and loud music from neighbors can piss off any person. Against the background of such aggressive sounds for hearing, nightmares often occur. If it is not possible to protect yourself from noise, then you can buy earplugs (special earplugs) at the pharmacy.
2. Walk before bed. Some people prefer to devote their evening leisure to watching movies that do not always have a positive storyline. It is better to replace such a pastime with a walk in the park or just in the immediate vicinity.
3. Working on resilience. If you want to normalize your internal state during sleep, you need to train willpower. To do this, it is recommended to face your fears directly in order to develop a neutral attitude towards the situation that has arisen.
4. Occupation interesting business . Before going to bed, it is very useful to knit, embroider, solve crossword puzzles or put together puzzles. All these activities help nervous system calm down so that after that the person can fully relax without the formation of nightmares in his mind.
5. Meditation and yoga. Such procedures are available even to those people who do not have the skills of these manipulations. Immediately before going to bed, you can start meditation, which should be accompanied by breathing exercises. It is necessary to imagine a boundless ocean or an endless field, while sitting in a lotus position (legs crossed, heels are located on opposite hips).
6. Aromatic treatments. Before going to bed, experts recommend filling the relaxation room with the smell of lavender or roses using special candles. For complete relaxation, baths with the addition of pine needles will not interfere, sea ​​salt or medicinal collection of chamomile, mint, yarrow, linden blossom, arnica and blackthorn flower.
7. Relaxation music. If you want to spend a night without nightmares, you can try to immerse yourself in the realm of Morpheus to your favorite tune. However, it should not contain aggressive notes. The Internet is replete with offers to download melodies that soothe the human psyche.
8. Method of analysis of someone else's example. In the legendary film Gone with the Wind, the brave Scarlett O'Hara was tormented by the same nightmare that came to her at night. The horrors stopped when the heroine realized the reason for their occurrence.
9. Bedroom improvement. First of all, you should take care of the thermal regime in the rest room. Any fluctuations in temperature in the sleeping room can cause a significant feeling of discomfort in a person. It should also be remembered that it is not worth organizing a recreation area where the office is located.
10. Physical exercise. When asked what to do with nightmares in a dream, you need to work on improving your body. However, experts do not recommend conducting such exercises immediately before the rest phase, because the body will be overexcited. In this case, it does not hurt to visit the swimming pool three hours before the desire to lie down in bed.
11. Method of mental image rehearsal. Every nightmare very often ends at the climax, because the person wakes up. At the same time, it is necessary to play associations in the daytime, coming up with a happy ending to a nightmare.
12. Self-hypnosis method. Before falling asleep, you need to focus on the most pleasant episodes of the past day. At the same time, it is recommended to clearly focus your thoughts on the most pleasant things, in order to then program them for your dreams.
13. Watching comedies. Such a pastime can literally change the way a person feels. You can try to revisit your favorites cartoons childhood to go to bed on a positive note.
14. Acquisition of an amulet of dreams. Some people believe in such things, so they willingly buy all kinds of talismans. An amulet that can be bought in any antique shop will help a person to spend the night calmly without any discomfort.

Terrible dreams torment people mainly in childhood. After the twelfth year of life, their number and frequency tend to decrease. But what if the adult never outgrew the night terrors? What causes nightmares in adults?

Terrible and disturbing dreams from time to time dream about 50% adults, and more often they see the nightmares of a woman. Psychologists also note that nightmares are more common for people who are vulnerable, emotional, sensitive and creative.

That adults have nightmares from time to time, due to:

• stresses of various kinds and strengths,
• a hearty dinner before bed
• lack of sleep and rest,
• medicines (or rather side effects, as well as drug withdrawal syndrome),
• alcohol withdrawal (alcohol withdrawal syndrome),
• depression
• fever, fever (nightmares are often dreamed of with a cold),
• sleep apnea (cessation of breathing during sleep for more than 10 seconds),
• restless legs syndrome (unpleasant sensations in the legs at night, forcing them to make light movements that interfere with sleep).

Cause of very frequent and recurring nightmares, as a rule, is post-traumatic stress. A difficult life situation (for example, a threat to life, a serious illness, physical trauma, death of a loved one, violence, war) is always difficult for a person to experience for some time after everything has already ended.

The events that provoked psychological trauma often return and “play out” in a person’s nightmares due to the fact that this helps the psyche to accept difficult events and come to terms. So the brain adapts to the nightmare experienced in reality in order to preserve the mental and physical health person.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is otherwise known as "Afghan syndrome", since almost all men who participated in the war in Afghanistan have it and are accompanied by frequent nightmares (among other manifestations of the disorder).

But chronic fatigue and simple stress can harm the human psyche no less than psychotrauma. For example, if you have to endure a tyrant boss for years, you should not be surprised that nightmares happen much more often than most adults.

Whatever the cause of nightmares, if they have been dreaming for a long time two weeks seek medical or psychological help.

Plots and consequences of nightmares

Nightmares are dreaming in the afternoon, closer to the morning, when a person is deeply asleep. Observed in REM sleep(she can be recognized by the rapid eye movements of the sleeping person).

Most often adults dreaming:

• flight or inability to escape, hide from danger or pursuers,
• fall from a great height,
• natural disasters,
• paranormal entities,
• illness, suffering, death (own or loved ones).
• troubles and problems experienced in the past.

Perhaps every person knows the state after an almost sleepless nightmarish night. Nightmare affects the quality of life, making it worse for a while. Sleepiness during the day, fatigue, depression, pessimism after a nightmare will surely pass after the next restful sleep.

But if nightmares are constant and frequent, then the consequences can be much more serious than a temporary decrease in the quality of life. Arise health problems both physical and mental. The most frequent of them:

• depression,
• cardiovascular diseases,
• obesity.

Ways to deal with nightmares

Nightmares always have cause. And until it is fixed, this problem will not be solved.

If the cause of nightmares is use too heavy, fatty and high-calorie food right before bed, getting rid of nightmares is simple - do not overeat, have dinner with light foods a few hours before going to bed.

Lack of sleep and rest compensated by the correction of the work schedule and daily routine.

If the reason was colds with fever, you need to take antipyretic drugs at bedtime.

If the reason is taking medications or other substances that affect the functioning of the brain, they need to be canceled or the dose reduced. If the problem lies precisely in the abolition of any substance, it is necessary to wait for some time until the body adapts and learns to work without “doping”.

For example, alcohol withdrawal disappears 5-7 days after the cessation of alcohol abuse. Withdrawal after discontinuation of antidepressants is leveled by a slow and gradual decrease in their dose. Of course, in these cases, one cannot self-medicate, one cannot do without the help and advice of a doctor.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression treated by psychotherapists and psychiatrists. In these cases, part of the responsibility for a person's health rests with his relatives. They need to be attentive to his condition and seek medical care, since people suffering from mental disorders themselves rarely understand that they urgently need help. Nightmares against the background of depression and post-traumatic stress are also dangerous because those who suffer from them have suicidal thoughts and intentions.

If nightmares occur due to sleep disorders(apnea, restless legs syndrome, others), you need to contact a somnologist or an otolaryngologist.

In general, all methods of dealing with stress have the ultimate goal change in lifestyle, behavior, thinking of a person. That means you have to work on yourself! In particular, it will be useful to develop such a personality trait as stress resistance.

Most people who suffer from nightmares due to stress and chronic fatigue helps:

• transition to a clear sleep-wake mode,
• sleep hygiene (you need to sleep in comfort, warmth, silence, darkness, in a ventilated room),
• getting rid of bad habits,
• adding physical activity during the day,
• solution of actual psychological problems.

If you can’t manage stress on your own, you need to seek help from psychologist or psychotherapist.

On my own nightmare- this is stress. To relieve anxiety and tension after seeing the horror, people use different ways. Here are some of them:

• write down a dream
• draw a dream
• come up with a good ending to a dream,
• retell and discuss the dream with a loved one.

After waking up from a nightmare helps you to come to your senses a glass of water, a shower, calm music, pleasant smells and other relaxing procedures.

What nightmares do you most often have?

Sleep paralysis, sleepwalking and nightmares are very interesting conditions that scientists still cannot explain. We don't know what exactly causes them or why they exist. They scare and make you feel helpless, which is very unpleasant.

If sleep paralysis occurs predominantly in adults, then nightmares appear in children aged three to eight years. A person may experience fear, even if he does not remember what exactly he dreamed about and why his peace was disturbed.

Nightmare symptoms: screams, restless movements, panic.

The horror that grips a person is similar to the primitive. Wild is often accompanied by the effect of "wide closed eyes»: it seems that a person is looking somewhere and seeing something, but in fact he is still sleeping.

What causes nightmares

Scientists have been able to describe several triggers that can trigger a bad dream:

• sleeping in an unfamiliar place
• fever,
• stress,
• full bladder.

What will help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful

Research has shown that there are ways to improve your sleep. These techniques do not guarantee getting rid of nightmares, but they will definitely help to minimize the number of such episodes.

Less blue light

Light in the blue part of the spectrum reduces the amount of melatonin produced, a hormone needed for sleep. It is this light that comes from the screen of a computer, tablet or smartphone. You should try not to use gadgets for two hours before bedtime. Or install special ones that block the blue part of the spectrum and make the screen shade warmer.

Take a hot bath

When you raise your body temperature in a hot bath and then drop it sharply as you lie down in bed, your body knows it's time for sleep. This simple trick is good way fall asleep faster.

Yawn

Your behavior directly affects how you feel. If you smile more often, then your mood will rise, and if you yawn, you will feel sleepy. Fool your body by yawning a few times and your eyes will start to droop.

Act contrary

Do not want ? Great, so be it. Keep your eyes open no matter what. Stay awake with all your might. Strange thing, but it will seem terribly tiring to you, and you will very soon want to sleep.

Clarification: you are not allowed to watch TV, read or think about anything exciting.

Build a Habit

Train yourself to fall asleep under certain circumstances. For example, under calm music or in the soft light of a night lamp. Your brain will learn to perceive environment as a signal to sleep, and you can fall asleep faster and sleep better.

How to help someone who has a nightmare

But even if you eliminate all irritants, nightmares can still be dreamed of. Therefore, you should know how to help a person who has a bad dream.

1. Don't try to wake the person up. It is possible that upon awakening, he will be disoriented and not recognize you. This will only increase anxiety and stress. Even though this advice goes against your instincts and desire to take care of your loved one, you don’t need to wake up and comfort the nightmare seer.
2. Distract the awakened. Otherwise, falling asleep again, he may again plunge into a disturbing dream. Try to convince your loved one go to the toilet or just wash.

Is it possible to get rid of nightmares forever?

If a child sees nightmares, then most likely this is a temporary phenomenon. As you grow older, bad dreams will dissipate. The only thing that the baby will extract from them is that dreams are not only good.

Adults remember better what happened in a dream. Nightmares for them may be the result of childhood trauma, mental or physical stress.

There is no magic pill for nightmares. Eliminate triggers that can cause bad dreams and teach your partner to help you. If someone close to you sees nightmares, advise you to slightly adjust your lifestyle and follow the recommendations from this article.