Know that it's relatively normal to get nightmares as an adult. A lot of people associate nightmares with children, believing they are something you grow out of. However, it is not uncommon for adults and teens to experience nightmares as well.
In fact,1 in every 2 adults will experience nightmares now and again, while 2% to 8% of the adult population suffers from chronic or recurring nightmares.
Nightmares are characterized by vividly realistic images, thoughts and emotions which cause your heart to beat faster and sometimes even force you to wake from your sleep. Sometimes details of the nightmare will be remembered and the terrifying or disturbing images can be difficult to shake.
As a result, nightmares affect the quality of sleep, leading to physical exhaustion and mental anxiety and stress. If your sleep is being interrupted by nightmares, it can cause issues in other areas of your life and even lead to long-term health problems. Therefore, it is important to understand the source of the nightmares and take steps to prevent them.
Understand the difference between nightmares and night terrors. Nightmares and night terrors are two different types of sleep disturbances which are sometimes confused.
Nightmares tend to occur during REM sleep, so you will usually experience them in the early hours of the morning. They are experienced as frightening or disturbing dreams which seem vividly real as they occur. The content of the dreams will vary from person to person, though adults often report having nightmares about being chased or falling from a height. People who have experienced a traumatic event tend to relive that event in their nightmare.
Night terrors occur during the deeper stages of sleep and so tend to occur in the first few hours of going to bed. They are experienced as an intense feeling of fear, which is not accompanied by dreams or images. It is often accompanied by movement (thrashing or sitting upright in bed) which may cause the person to wake up. Usually the person cannot remember why they were so frightened upon waking.
Understand that nightmares can be the symptom of a larger problem. Although nightmares in adults often happen spontaneously with no serious underlying cause, sometimes nightmares will be the result of psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This is particularly likely if the sufferer has recently experienced a traumatic or life-changing event, such as the loss of a loved one, changing or losing a job, having a baby, undergoing surgery or being involved in an accident.
Sometimes nightmares are a symptom of another sleep disorder such as sleep apnea or restless leg symptom. Other times, a person is just genetically predisposed towards nightmares, as research has shown that the likelihood of having nightmares runs in the family.
Treat any underlying disorders. If your nightmares are the result of an underlying condition such as sleep apnea or restless leg symptom, receiving treatment for these conditions should help to reduce nightmares.
If your nightmares are related to anxiety, depression or PTSD, certain forms of therapy or medications might help to alleviate these conditions and lessen nightmares.
In particular, a drug known as Prazosin is often prescribed to help patients with PTSD, anxiety and panic disorders, and can alleviate nightmares.
It is important that you speak to your doctor to figure out a treatment option that is best for you.
Avoid eating before bed. Eating before bed can trigger nightmares, as food speeds up your metabolism and sends signals to your brain to become more active. Therefore, it's a good idea to cut out bedtime snacks, particularly those that are high in sugar.
. Stress can contribute to nightmares, so take some time relax throughout the day and aim to go to bed with a calm, clear mind.
are both good activities for relieving stress and clearing the mind. Consider taking a class, or simply practice for a few minutes each day in the comfort of your own home.
Other activities such as , ,
or just spending more time with your family and loved can also help to relieve stress.
before bed can help you to unwind after the stresses of the day and leave you feeling calmer and more relaxed .
Talk to your doctor about any medications you're taking. Certain medications can increase the likelihood of nightmares, so speak to your doctor if you feel this might be an issue for you.
Anti-depressants and certain blood pressure medications are often responsible for causing nightmares, so speak to your doctor about switching to a different drug.
Sometimes a change in dosage or coming off a particular drug can cause nightmares, in which case the bad dreams should subside once your body adjusts.
Improve your sleep. Although nightmares may cause sleep deprivation, sleep deprivation can also cause nightmares. Therefore, taking steps to improve the quality of your sleep can help to prevent nightmares.
Make your bedroom a relaxing environment. Keep your bedroom neat and tidy, make sure it's dark enough and avoid temperatures that are too hot or cold. Make sure your bed is comfortable. Use a white noise machine to block out any undesirable sounds. Reserve your bedroom for sleeping - working in your bedroom may cause you to associate it with stress.
Get more physical exercise. Tiring yourself out with physical exercise is a great way to improve your sleep. Find an activity that you enjoy, whether it's running, strength training, dancing, rowing or rock climbing and work out 3 to 5 times a week. Schedule it for the morning if you can. Just don't exercise right before bed - it will leave you too amped up for sleep.
Cut back on your caffeine, alcohol and nicotine intake. These substances can interfere with your sleep, so it's a good idea to cut them out or at least cut down. Also try to avoid drinking, smoking or consuming caffeine less than 3 to 4 hours before bedtime.
Try imagery rehearsal treatment. Imagery rehearsal treatment is a type of cognitive therapy which has been found very effective in reducing nightmares in PTSD and insomnia patients.
With imagery rehearsal treatment, the patient is encouraged to imagine an alternate ending to their nightmares - one with a more pleasant or satisfying outcome - while they are still awake.
For example, if you're dreaming you're being chased, you could imagine the monster that's chasing you, when it catches you, saying "tag, you're it" and it's really a game of tag.
If you're dreaming that you're falling, you could imagine that a parachute opens up and saves you.
Sometimes this is done orally, other times the patient is asked to write down, draw or paint the alternate ending to their nightmares.
place. Envision a happy, peaceful place - like a tropical beach or a secluded mountain top. You can make one up, or base it on somewhere real. No matter what or where it is, just make sure it's
and relaxing. In addition to just envisioning the scenery, try to imagine the sounds, the smells and the overall atmosphere.
happy thoughts. As you drift off to sleep, try to think happy thoughts. They could be anything you like - try imagining yourself as a superhero saving the world, as a famous actor or actress or heading off on your dream holiday. It can also help to focus on your goals and envision yourself achieving them - getting that dream job, hitting your ideal weight or finding your true love.
Talk to someone about your dreams. Find someone who you trust, and explain your dreams. Also explain to them why they scare you. Just letting your feelings out can make things better. You can also keep track of your dreams in a dream journal, but be aware that sometimes it's more effective to talk to an actual person who you know is listening.
Attempt to
your nightmare. See if you can manipulate your nightmare by making certain things happen and altering the outcome to make it less frightening or upsetting. This ability comes to some people faster than others, so don't be frustrated if you can't manage it at first.
. Nightmares can also be caused by , such as wondering if you will get a job or not. Let go of your worries, and begin having happy dreams again. You can relax by either meditating, or having a nice day at the beach. Just make sure it's a quiet area where you can relax and .
How can I stop having really bad nightmares each night?
wikiHow Contributor
Think happy thoughts about 30 minutes before sleep. You can even look at cute photos of animals if it helps. If you do this for a while each night before sleeping, then you will condition yourself to look forward to sleep and it will reduce your nightmares. Also, do some deep breathing exercises to help you fall asleep.
How do I get rid of night terrors?
wikiHow Contributor
Be careful about what you listen to or watch before bed. If you see something scary, it will haunt you all day and before you know it it's in your dream.
When I have these terror dreams I usually thrash around. How can I stop this?
wikiHow Contributor
Generally speaking, nightmares come from an abundance of stress over a certain thing, or perhaps it is all of the things put together. A good way to help calm nightmares is to get enough sleep and also try to do some calming things before bed. Nightmares are the brain's natural way of relieving stress and so if you manage to do this beforehand, it will solve the issue. For calming things, you might want to try some sort of stretching or physical exercise. It releases positive chemicals into the brain.
How do I stop my child's nightmares?
wikiHow Contributor
You could consider allowing your child to have a pet that sleeps with the child. In many cases, this helps take away the nightmares completely. See
for a more complete set of suggestions.
How do I prevent nightmares?
wikiHow Contributor
Before you go to sleep, practice saying something that calms you down, so you can easily return to that relaxed state during a nightmare. Don't watch, read or look up anything that you know could possibly give you nightmares. Surround yourself with things that are soothing and make you happy.
Do dream catchers really work or help?
wikiHow Contributor
If you believe they will work, then you might get fewer nightmares. Sometimes, believing that you can do something or in this case, the dream catcher can, it could potentially reduce nightmares.
If I see a scary movie before bed, I'll get dreams about that and won't have peaceful sleep. What can I do?
wikiHow Contributor
Don't watch movies right before bed. If you do, do something to take your mind off it before you go to sleep, like talk to your friends if you're at a sleep over, or pet you dog or cat or rabbit or whatever, or maybe read a relaxing book or meditate.
What should I do during my nightmare?
wikiHow Contributor
Find a way to take control of the nightmare. Try reading something – it will look blurry and you'll realize you're in a nightmare. Once you realize that, you can take control of your nightmare and end it up.
What if you're worried that you will have the another nightmare the next night?
wikiHow Contributor
Think of a happy place, and create a new dream of a happy story. Think about what you would like to dream about until you fall asleep. You can do things to distract your mind before bed, such as chat with friends, spend time with a pet or read a book.
Why have I had the same dream three nights?
wikiHow Contributor
The meaning depends upon what the dream was about. Chances are, something in your life is causing them. Explore the feelings you had in the dream, and try to connect those feelings and the actions involved with what is happening in your life. Your dream is trying to alert you to something you need to address. Generally, once you acknowledge why you are afraid, angry, worried, or whatever other emotion you felt, the dreams cease.
200 characters left
Watch something funny or cheerful before going to sleep.
Try not to think about frightening things which you think might happen.
Listening to happy or relaxing music before going to bed can help relieve your mind of negative thoughts. A happier dream will be more likely now that your mind is fixated on positive thoughts.
Think of good things that have happened in your life. Imagine great things that you can accomplish. Nothing but happy thoughts.
Have a dream catcher or gemstone for protection (amethyst) to help you physiologically forget about bad thoughts.
Remember that most all of your dreams are not real and could not happen in real life. Just relax, take some time to recuperate, put a big smile on your face, and greet another wonderful (normal) day.
Try to use herbal calming natural stuff to help calm your mind.
Try to let your body fall asleep on its own don't close your eyes and force sleep read until your feel tired then lay down with your eyes open until your body just kind of falls asleep (you won't know your sleeping till you have woken up in the morning)
Think of something fun in the future or in the past that was something fun or just keep a journal and write what you did that day (make it happy not bad).
Listen to music whilst sleeping.
If you have a nightmare in the middle of the night try to ask yourself how you got into the dream and how to turn the nightmare into a good dream.
You may have nightmares due to excessively thinking about the same thing which is bothering you or you taking a lot of stress. Try solving the issue which is bothering you. If that's not the case and you do not certainly have any stress issues to worry about, try consulting a doctor regarding it.
If the nightmare doesn't stop after one month, you should seek medical attention. You could be having nightmares because someone close had died, and in this case, it's very hard to get over it. If you are continually having problems getting over something in your life, and you consistently have nightmares about the subject, talk to a professional. They can help you.
In a few rare, extreme cases, a nightmare can terrify a person so greatly that they will be afraid to go to bed the next night or for several nights after having the nightmare. In subsequent nights, the person may either dread having the same or similar nightmare again, or the nightmare was so immensely terrifying that its images, scenes, thoughts and feelings are still in the person's waking thoughts, continuing to scare the person while trying to fall asleep. If this is the case, you could find a friend or roommate (if you're not married) to sleep in the company of, or talk to a doctor or someone you trust about this terrible dream you had. Listening to quiet, relaxing music as you go to sleep might help too.
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 941,493 times.
1,433 votes - 84%
Click a star to vote
Click a star to vote
Co-authors:
Views:&941,493
"I am so tired from not having a good sleep. I searched how to stop nightmares, and I found this page.
It is so useful, not only about this, but also so many things we can know through this.
- Kavindya
"I liked the visualization techniques and the suggesting of attempting to control your dreams by doing something like reading in your dream, I'm going to try this!"..."
- Nicolle Hussion
"Knowing that I should calm down, realize that my nightmare is not real, and that I should be thinking happy thoughts really helped."..."
- Anonymous
"This is quite helpful, because my mom has been experiencing consecutive nightmares. I'll advise these tips I've read. Thanks."..."
- Jayson Borlagdan
I feel better knowing that I'm not alone and that there are things I can do to decrease the nightmares.
- Renee C.
It made me understand the nightmares more, and shall put in to practice some of the ideas.
The difference between nightmares and night terrors was really interesting to me.
- Courtney
Very good read.
Hits close to home. No more eating before bed!
- Elizabeth Campbell
This really helped me stop having nightmares. Thank you!!
- Aryauna Clements
The whole article was helpful.
- Musoke Luke
Lucid dreaming has helped.
- Teresa Scott
84% of people told us that this article helped them.Contributed by Zawn Villines, GoodTherapy.org Correspondent
The pages of women’s magazines are filled with articles offering methods for encouraging
to propose , and entire websites are dedicated to increasing a person’s marry-ability. Both men and
can be hesitant about marriage, and when romantic partners have different opinions of marriage, the conflict can be challenging to resolve.
It is possible, however, to have a committed and loving relationship without marriage, and some people who are uncomfortable with marriage ultimately change their minds. A disagreement about marriage doesn’t have to end your relationship, particularly if you both are committed to the relationship.
Avoiding Marriage
If you’re itching to get married and your partner resists, it’s easy to assume there’s a problem with the relationship or that your partner isn’t fully
to you. These issues could indicate that it’s time to consider moving on. But there are myriad other reasons people are uncomfortable with marriage that have nothing to do with the relationship. Cohabitation is an increas one 2013 study found that 32% of couples chose long-term cohabitation over marriage. Some reasons your partner might be uninterested in marriage include:
Discomfort with the events that surround a wedding, the costs associated with getting married, or
that can arise when a couple exchanges vows.
Fear of losing one’s individual .
Wanting to “test” the relationship a little longer before taking the plunge.
Disliking the historical implications of marriage, which include viewing women as property and men as little more than providers.
A desire to avoid an institution in which some
can’t participate.
The Role of Communication
As with so many other relationship issues, open and honest
is the key to resolving disputes about marriage. You might assume you know your partner’s reason for avoiding marriage, but you don’t really know until you ask. Hearing that your partner is concerned that marriage might change the relationship will likely feel a lot better than simply assuming your partner doesn’t want to get married because he or she doesn’t love you.
And for partners who want to get married, explaining clearly and logically why you want to get married can make a big difference. The benefits of marriage include automatic paternal legitimation for children, significant tax benefits, and shared insurance. Pointing these out to your partner could help, but addressing his or her concerns is equally important. You might be able to come to an agreement about when you’ll reevaluate the marriage question and how you’ll address insecurities and relationship logistics in the meantime.
While you might feel hurt if your partner doesn’t want to marry you, it’s important to consider that marriage might mean something completely different to your partner. Consequently, it’s wise to focus on other ways to get your needs met rather than making marriage a deal-breaker. If, however, you can’t stay in a relationship that doesn’t end in marriage, trying to push the relationship toward marriage can cause it to fall apart. It might be better to end things now.
Addressing Potential Concerns
If you and your partner agree to live together without getting married, you’ll have the freedom to pick and choose which marriage benefits you want to take advantage of and which you want to avoid altogether. A simple contract, for example, can outline who owns what property and how it will be divided if you split up. And if you have a child together, you’ll need to ensure that both parents are listed on the birth certificate or that the nonbiological parent adopts the child. You won’t be able to get tax benefits, but you can still combine your lives in a way that works for both of you.
References:
Aleccia, J. (2013, April 4). “The new normal”: Cohabitation on the rise, study finds. NBC News. Retrieved from /health/new-normal-cohabitation-rise-study-finds-1C9208429?franchiseSlug=healthmain
Roberts, S. (2013, April 9). Against marriage: A ring does not define a relationship. The XX Factor. Retrieved from /blogs/xx_factor//the_case_against_marriage_a_ring_doesn_t_define_a_relationship.html
Schwyzer, H. (2011, February 16). Why some men don’t want to get married. Alternet. Retrieved from http://www.alternet.org/story/149941/why_some_men_don’t_want_to_get_married
& Copyright 2013 GoodTherapy.org. All rights reserved. The preceding article was solely written by the author named above. Any views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the preceding article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment below.}