Nightmares

Humanity maintains a desire to understand in order to accept and his is definitely the case when it comes to dreams. This can be evident in the extensive research that has been done over the years on this topic; I mean let’s face it, is there really a point in stereotyping and categorizing the different types of dreams, other that understanding them slightly better or even understanding ourselves better?

Also see my previous posts 1; 2; 3; 4;

Dreams has always been something that I have been fascinated with, and I love taking a little time out first thing in the morning and reflecting on my dreams.

One type of dream that has frequented in my life especially my youth has to be the infamous nightmare.

What exactly is a nightmare?

We all know that when you have a nightmare, we often wake up breathing a sigh of relief thinking “it was just a dream” the reason for this is; because the nightmare is such a vivid dream that reigns as one of the most powerful and draining types of dreams. A nightmare can feel completely real and taps deeply into our primal centers in order to activate hidden aspects of ourselves that we normally keep under rug swept. They force us to face things such as shame, regret, pain, fear and guilt in various different dictations of our imagination combined with fractions of actual memory.

The Up-Side of Nightmares:

Because Nightmares are a way for us to deal with underlying issues that is brought to the surface of the sleepers conscious mind during such a dream forcing the mind to deal with issues that it has been avoiding, the nightmare is in a way healthy – despite the fact that it is for the greater part completely and utterly unpleasant.

Are nightmares normal for an adult?

The general consent is that nightmares mostly occur in the youth, and believe that it it something that a person grows out of, however this is not completely true, it is not uncommon for adults to have nightmares at all. As a rule they tend to get less as we get older and learn to face our fears and deal with them better but new fears or even lack of closure on old fears can lead to adults having nightmares.

Here are some nightmare facts:

• 1 out of every 2 adults will experience nightmares
• 2% to 8% of the adult population suffers from chronic or recurring nightmares.
• Details of the nightmare will be remembered
• Terrifying or disturbing images can be difficult to shake.
• Nightmares affect the quality of sleep and can lead to physical exhaustion, mental anxiety, stress and even long term health problems.

The difference between Night Terrors and Nightmares

Nightmares

• Occurs during the REM stages of sleep (usually during the early hours of the morning)
• Vividly real, disturbing and frightening.
• Content of the dreams will vary from person to person.
• Might often be a reenactment of a traumatic event that occurred in the sleepers life.

Night terrors

• Occurs during deep sleep stages (after the first few hours of going to bed)
• Intense feelings of fear that are not depicted in images or dreams.
• Often goes hand in hand with physical movement (thrashing or sitting upright in bed) that can lead to person waking up.
• Normally the sleeper will not remember why they woke up in such a state.

How to stop Nightmares:

Find out what is causing them:

• There are various reasons for nightmares such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, REM disorder, or restless leg syndrome, and treating these can drastically reduce nightmares.
• Other causes that can be looked at are anxiety, depression or PTSD here you can look into treatments to alleviate such conditions in order to lessen nightmares.

Avoid eating before bed:

• When you eat just before going to bed it can trigger nightmares because this sends a signal to your brain to be more active, this is especially true in the case of sugary snacks.

Reduce stress:

• Stress is a great contributing factor of nightmares, so take the necessary steps that aids you in going to bed with a clear, relaxed mind. You could try reading, running, exercising, yoga or meditation. A hot bath also helps a great deal with relieving daily stress.

Revise medications – talk to your Dr. about this:

• Some medicinal drugs can lead to an increase in nightmares, so speak to your Dr. if you feel that this might be the cause of your nightmares.

Improve your sleep:

• Nightmares can create a vicious circle that entails not getting a good nights rest, this in turn leads to more nightmares leading to less sleep.
  This being said, sleep deprivation in itself can also lead to nightmares, here are a few ways that you can induce a better nights rest:
  • Make your bedroom a relaxing environment.
  • Get more physical exercise.
  • Cut back on your caffeine, alcohol and nicotine intake.
  • Avoid blue light such as that of electronics.
  • Try imagery rehearsal treatment.

I hope that you enjoyed this short piece
ONE LOVE

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