Why do you have nightmares? Getting rid of scary dreams in adults and children

Every year a healthy lifestyle becomes more and more popular. In social networks, the media and even in a friendly company over a cup of tea, the topic of healthy eating, regular physical activity and its importance for our physical and psychological health is increasingly being raised. We put a lot of emphasis on nutrition and exercise, but we forget another important criterion for a healthy lifestyle - proper rest and sleep.

Irregular work schedule, constant information, sound and light noise of big cities, chronic sedentary lifestyle, taking stimulants and invigorating drugs - all this can lead to various sleep disorders. Our body is prevented from fully resting at night and recuperating due to difficulty falling asleep and frequent awakenings at night, bad dreams, episodes of sleep apnea (disturbances or lack of breathing during sleep), snoring, early morning awakening and some other types of insomnia (sleep disorders).

Most people who seek advice from specialists complain of poor sleep due to nightmares. Dream scenarios may be different, but the result is the same: a person wakes up in the middle of the night with a feeling of horror, in pajamas wet from cold sweat, disoriented in space and time. After such an awakening, he is afraid or cannot fall asleep, which is why in the morning and throughout the day he feels depressed, exhausted, and has a constant feeling of hunger and emotional dissatisfaction.

A scary dream can happen at any age. Most often, nightmares are experienced by people with a labile psyche, emotional adults and children. The child's psyche is formed before the age of 15. The child learns about the world, regularly encounters new impressions and people, which is naturally reflected in his dreams.

In this article we will tell you why you have nightmares, how they can be dangerous to health, what their nature is, whether a person can cope with them on their own, and at what point you should contact a specialist.

Content:

What are nightmares? What is the nature of nightmares?
Features of types and themes of nightmares in children, adolescents and adults
What harm can bad sleep cause to a person?

What does the body warn us about when we have nightmares?

How to completely get rid of scary dreams or reduce their frequency?

Helping a child: features and nuances

Poor sleep in adults. What to do?

When is it time to see a doctor?

What to do if you had a bad dream?

The influence of nightmares on the human psyche

“For a good sleep without nightmares”: advice from psychologists

Celebrate all the good things

The next stage of getting rid of bad dreams is to list in the evening all the good things that happened during the day.

You should also write down everything pleasant by hand on paper, and not on a computer or smartphone.

Neurotic individuals have problems performing this exercise. If they can easily find the bad in their life, they can’t find the good. But you have to try.

You can always find at least something positive in life. There would be a desire to do this. For example, you live in a city apartment. And you have hot water in the tap and working sewerage. Isn't it lovely?

So, if you don’t want to have a terrible bad dream again, perhaps even a nightmare, you will have to develop your imagination.

What are nightmares?

Nightmare... The definition of this concept is hidden in the decoding of the word “nightmare” itself. It is of French origin and consists of two parts: caucher, which means “to crush” or “oppress”, and mare - “night ghost”. These are long, complex dreams containing elements of anxiety and fear that become more and more frightening towards the end. After awakening, a person quickly comes to a clear consciousness, but an anxious state persists for some time.

In addition to psychological discomfort, a person notes symptoms associated with activation of the sympathetic nervous system:

frequent, intermittent breathing;
rapid pulse and increased heart contractions;
pupils dilate, night vision improves;
dry mouth appears, saliva becomes viscous and thick;
sweating increases.

Activation of the sympathetic nervous system is also called the “fight or flight” state. It is very difficult for a person to fall asleep again after waking up with such an attitude from the body.

Night terrors occur in 4.4% of the world's population. Although real nightmares are more common among children, every second adult also experiences nightmares from time to time (nightmares affect between 2% and 8% of the adult population). They occur during the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phase, which lasts 10–20 minutes. The closer it gets to morning, the longer this phase becomes. Therefore, nightmares most often occur in the early morning hours.

What is the nature of nightmares?

From a physiological point of view, the causes of nightmares in adults and children are different. During intrauterine development, the nervous system and brain are not fully formed. This process lasts up to 15 years and is associated with the child’s growing up, learning, and puberty.

Nightmares in children are associated with immaturity of the reticular ascending activating system. This anatomical region is located in the medulla oblongata and is responsible for the regulation of ri.

Provoking factors for the occurrence of nightmares in children are:

strict attitude towards the child on the part of the parents;
problematic communication with peers in kindergarten or school, bullying;
heavy loads at school or in the sports section;
serious illness/death of a loved one or beloved pet;
watching scary movies or reading horror stories before bed;
change of place of residence, even moving within the same area to a new home;
dysfunctional family;
physical punishment from adults;
heat;
parasitic diseases;
endocrine diseases, hormonal changes during puberty.

Adults have scary dreams much less often than children. Nightmares in adults can be triggered by:

chronic stress and problems at work;
diseases of the nervous system;
insomnia and sleep disturbances. Some people experience a vicious circle: nightmare - fear of falling asleep - insomnia - mental exhaustion - nightmare;
concussion and other traumatic brain injuries;
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), formerly called “shell shock”;
childhood psychotrauma;
use of psychoactive substances (energy drinks, nicotine, drugs, alcohol);
withdrawal syndrome, better known by the popular name “delirium tremens”;
depression and constant anxiety;
lack of normal rest, heavy physical activity;
unbalanced diet, overeating before bed;
diseases of the nervous, respiratory and cardiovascular systems;
side effects of certain medications (antidepressants, neurotransmitters, beta-blockers, levodopa drugs) or drug withdrawal syndrome;
restless legs syndrome;
environmental conditions that are uncomfortable for sleep (lack of oxygen supply, dry air, high temperature and excessive illumination of the room, uncomfortable bed).

Nightmares are significantly more common in women than in men. This phenomenon is associated with greater emotionality of the weaker sex and monthly hormonal fluctuations.

Somnologists (doctors who study the processes of sleep and wakefulness) identify a number of professions whose representatives may suffer from nightmares:

doctors, nurses, paramedics and other people working in medicine;
military;
rescuers and firefighters;
people with shift work schedules and night shifts;
representatives of creative professions because of their rich imagination.

Features of types and themes of nightmares in children, adolescents and adults

There are two types of nightmares:

idiopathic - the reason for the appearance of such dreams is unknown. They are not associated with a traumatic event or PTSD;
post-traumatic - these dreams are part of a stressful event, a peculiar reaction of the psyche to it. Occurs after or during an acute stress reaction.

The subject of frightening dreams is individual for each person. According to Professor V.N. Kasatkin, the nature of sleep and the content of dreams in children are greatly influenced by adverse events immediately preceding sleep or occurring during sleep.

A. Ts. Golbin divided the themes of children's nightmares by age:

Child's age	Characteristics of scary dreams
2–5 years	Dreams contain scary animals or monsters. They may chase the child, try to steal him or eat him.
5-6 years	Frightening dreams are situational in nature. They are dominated by action: fights, chases, wrestling.
7–9 years	In dreams there are many specific images that become more diverse. The perception of sleep is more visual.
9–12 years	Children of this age see one image in their dreams. It is perceived sensually and emotionally. It is possible to increase the size, shape, and change the type of movement of the frightening object.
12–15 years	Most often, terrible dreams of adolescence are associated with unpleasant situations that occur in society. The child may see himself in funny clothes or naked in front of a crowd of peers.

⠀ Adults have other types of nightmares:

Apocalyptic in nature (earthquakes, tsunamis, global disasters, meteorite falling on the planet, large-scale fires).
Being late for important events or transport (plane, bus, train).
A terrible illness or death of a loved one.
Dead people.
Finding yourself in an embarrassing situation (standing naked among the crowd, becoming a laughing stock in the eyes of society).
A deep feeling of loneliness, feeling abandoned by loved ones.
Falling from height.
Pursuit and inability to escape from the pursuer.
A terrible fatal disease, a person may see himself injured or dead in a dream.
Helplessness and a feeling of paralysis of the whole body, the inability to scream, run away or perform any other action.

What harm can bad sleep cause to a person?

Most living organisms exist according to circadian rhythms: sleep - wakefulness, flights to warm regions, hibernation - summer activity, nutrition - hunger, and others. Scientists have found that animals also need sleep, just like people. Even jellyfish and fish alternate between periods of wakefulness and rest, when the animal is in a state very similar to human sleep.

During sleep, recovery processes occur in the body:

cell division;
The secretion of growth hormone increases (about 80% of growth hormone is produced during sleep), as a result - the body grows;
Nerve cells remove waste products 60% faster, which can have a toxic effect on neurons;
redistribution of connections between nerve cells.

During sleep, the human brain actively works. It analyzes the information received during the day, erases the unnecessary and leaves that which may be useful in the future. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems begin to work in “economy mode”: breathing becomes deeper and rarer, blood pressure decreases by 10–20%, and the pulse quickens. The endocrine system, on the contrary, is activated. During sleep, the level of insulin, thyroid hormones, adrenal glands and sex glands stabilizes in the blood.

Somnologist Yuri Pogoretsky explained what a lack of normal sleep can lead to:

lethargy and chronic fatigue;
decreased concentration;
drowsiness, falling asleep while driving;
depression, apathy and other mental disorders;
uncontrolled hypertension (increased blood pressure to high levels), which is difficult to treat with medication;
decreased sensitivity of cells to insulin, development of glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus;
metabolic syndrome, obesity, inability to lose weight with minimal caloric intake and intense physical activity;
decreased performance. American employers estimate that they lose about $100 billion a year due to their employees' sleepiness.

Somnologist, candidate of medical sciences, associate professor of the First Moscow State Medical University named after. I.M. Sechenov Mikhail Poluektov in an interview with the Postnauka channel said that poor sleep in middle-aged people increases the risk of developing arterial hypertension by 1.6 times and contributes to a decrease in immunity. Not getting enough sleep for several days significantly increases the likelihood of colds, which has been proven in clinical studies.

Why do you have bad dreams?

Bad dreams - a list of unique marker images that predict a Negative future. How to interpret what to do next to avoid misfortune.

As proven by many years of research, the most valuable thing in dreams is unique marker images. Some reflect human physiology, his psychological content, others – environmental signals.

It’s the latter that we will need to avoid going to our “Nord-Ost”, “Lame Horse” or the cinema of the Kemerovo shopping center.

So which dreams are bad?

Let's remember these images:

Deceased (relative, friend). One of the meanings of the image is the mask of Death. Read more

Old woman. If the image in a dream is endowed with negative, frightening, repulsive features, this is also a mask of Death. If he threatens a young person, a child, he can transform into a young woman in black. But it’s also frightening; you can’t hide the essence.

Helicopter. Plain or wooden. Don't ask why. Don't know. For 20 years, it has been steadily fixed as an image of future funerals.

Of course the wedding. One of its meanings.

Leaving - Farewell When a loved one leaves, leaves forever, and in our sleep we cannot restrain ourselves from tears and longing.

Sail into the Ocean. Similar to the image of “Farewell, departure”. Only a person who is in danger sails into the Ocean (not to be confused with the image of the Sea!).

Falling into a pit, dungeon, etc., which is accompanied in a dream by a feeling of horror, fear...

Damp earth, clay. Proximity to a “lethal”, disastrous situation.

Action in a bad dream

A dream with a bad image is not yet a threat! To interpret bad dreams, you need to understand not only the meaning of the main image, but also the action - what happens to it. As in a sentence: noun + verb. Then the meaning of a bad dream will become clear to us.

Knowing the image itself is not enough! The old woman leaves, the wedding is disrupted, the deceased turns away from the dreamer, the helicopter flies away - a good dream. This means that a Negative future can be avoided. We react only to the proximity of the image - the closer, the more real the Negative future.

Read more about this dream phenomenon in The dynamism of dream images.

What to do if you had a bad dream

If you or your child wake up with any of the above, then don't panic. According to the identified pattern, prognostic dreams reflect future events from 1 to 5 days in accordance with the hour when they were dreamed. Easy to remember.

Morning (with which we got up). The events will take place on the same day. From 22.00 to 2.00 and from 4.00 to 7.00. Events will take place from 2 to 3 days inclusive. From 2.00 to 4.00. Events will take place from 3 to 5 days inclusive.

We calculate, plus the day for greater security if we are not sure about the hour of sleep. And we’ll find out when to lay down the straw.

Is it difficult to calculate? To help you in the Calendar of the fulfillment of prognostic dreams

What to do to prevent a bad dream from coming true

Don’t go where you planned the night before a bad night’s sleep. Refuse sudden offers on the day when your nightmare may come true. It's enough.

If there is an accident ahead, you just need to stay at home or at work for 5 minutes, and the trouble will pass by. If there is a fall, injury, attack by criminals ahead... suddenly change your plans for the day when this is supposed to happen...

and let the criminals throw up their hands, and let the pillars fall into empty space, and let the cinemas burn without people. Without you.

I talked to a guy in neurosurgery. 25 years. I came to my brother at a construction site to help. He fell through the opening from the third floor. Several vertebrae are broken. He insisted that he was not dreaming. The wife nearby reminded me that you woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night the night before. I remembered. I remembered how I flew into a black pit with a cry of horror.

So, it’s better for people to laugh at the dreamer’s superstition than to cry at his funeral.

More detailed recommendations here.

What does the body warn us about when we have nightmares?

If scary dreams are not associated with the influence of negative environmental factors on the body, then you should carefully consider their content. The human psyche thus sends signals about complexes, problems and real fears.

Dream involving a dead person

Such a dream indicates that a person does not perceive reality, lives in the past or future and is not in the moment. A person should let go of events that can no longer be changed, and stop calculating every next step to the smallest detail.

Disaster dreams

The apocalypse is seen in a dream by people who spend a lot of energy on unnecessary worries and are in a constant feeling of anxiety. They are in a state of increased mobilization of strength, are afraid to show their weakness and cannot ask for help from other people.

Limited mobility, sleep paralysis

A nightmare in which you cannot move your arm, leg, or scream may indicate that the person is passively experiencing an aggressive situation. In real life, danger awaits him and he should not let his guard down.

Falling from a height, flying into the abyss

Terrible dreams associated with free flight and the threat of crashing should suggest that in real life there is a feeling of abandonment. A person on a subconscious level feels unnecessary and is often afraid to admit it to himself.

Esoteric causes of nightmares

Psychics, bioenergetics, esotericists and magicians explain nightmares in their own way. Bad dreams occur due to:

Energy exhaustion. It is possible that some person in your immediate circle is an energy vampire. Analyze how you feel after talking to different people. This way you will understand who the “bloodsucker” is, so that in the future you can avoid this person in every possible way.
Paying off karmic debts. In a greatly simplified version, karma is retribution for sins. Or for violating cosmic, universal laws - whatever you want. Sometimes retribution overtakes a person in his next life. So lamentations in the spirit of: “Why should I do this” are inappropriate. If there are constant failures in your life, you are sick all the time, then there is something for it. Not every person can remember a past life - to do this you need to find an intelligent specialist in regressive hypnosis. So all that remains is not to mess up in this life. And if you already have sins, try to correct them as much as possible.
With the help of nightmares, your Guardian Angel is trying to “reach out” to you, to warn you of the danger that threatens you.
Sometimes you have nightmares because of poor energy in your home. The advice in this case is this: do a general cleaning, throw away everything unnecessary.

How to completely get rid of scary dreams or reduce their frequency?

This question is often asked at appointments with a somnologist, psychologist and pediatrician. Nightmares are a manifestation of problems in the somatic and neuropsychic spheres. For each cause and age, the process of getting rid of nightmares or reducing their frequency has its own specific characteristics.

Helping a child: features and nuances

Following a daily routine plays a very important role in a child’s life . Nightmares can disturb a baby due to a violation of the diet, non-compliance with the time of going to bed and waking up. Parents can influence these unfavorable factors and help their child get rid of nightmares. Introduce the following rules in your family:

Two hours before bedtime, do not watch TV, do not use phones or computers.
Go to bed (preferably before 22:00) and wake up at the same time.
Before going to bed, ventilate the room and ensure a constant supply of fresh air.
Let the child go to bed with his favorite toy.
Spend more time outdoors.
Provide the child with adequate physical activity (without excessive fatigue).
Regularly ask your child about how communication is going in kindergarten or school and whether he has any conflicts with peers.
Do not start quarrels in front of the child, avoid any conflict situations.
Discuss a bad dream! It is important to explain to the child that all the events of the dream happen in make-believe, but in no case do not diminish the importance of this terrible event for him.
Be sure to hug your child and reassure him if he has a bad dream.
Buy a night light for your children's room. Dimmed light will relieve the fear of the dark and will not interfere with sleep.

An interesting practice helps children get rid of a bad dream: draw a night horror movie on a piece of paper, and then tear it into small pieces. As the child grows older, nightmares become less frequent night guests, and by the age of 15–18 they may disappear completely without any treatment.

Poor sleep in adults. What to do?

The most effective way is to get rid of the reasons that cause nightmares: work through the psychological aspects, consult with your doctor about the medications you regularly take, monitor your physical health, get timely examinations and treat somatic diseases.

Some tips to help cope with bad dreams:

The first thing you need to do is remove the source of stress: change your social circle, get rid of toxic people, find yourself a new hobby, quit a shift work schedule or change your type of work.
Set up nutrition. Eat food five times a day in small portions, do not eat meat, sweets, fatty and salty foods 1.5-2 hours before bedtime.
Do not go to bed on an empty stomach; 30–60 minutes before bedtime, you can drink 100 ml of kefir or fermented baked milk. Hungry sleep is always disturbing, associated with frequent awakenings and may be accompanied by nightmares.
1.5 hours before bedtime, do not use gadgets. Brightly lit screens interfere with the production of melatonin (a substance that is responsible for normal sleep).
Take a warm shower or bath 30–60 minutes before bed. Water treatments will help relax the nervous system.
Don't watch scary movies or read books with scary plots.
Exercise regularly (at least three hours of cardio per week).
Get rid of bad habits (coffee abuse, smoking, drinking alcohol, using psychoactive substances).
Keep a “Nightmare Diary” in which you will record bad dreams. Then conduct a thorough analysis of dreams, develop the plot to a positive outcome.
Feel free to discuss the problem of nightmares with your loved ones. Together you can always find a better solution or develop a happy ending to a dream.
Do yoga, stretching or Pilates. Calm types of physical activity promote calmness and make a person more confident in their abilities.

When is it time to see a doctor?

If nightmares occur rarely and do not cause severe psychological and physical discomfort, then you can try to cope with them yourself. People with severe nightmares (bad dreams haunt every night for more than one month) and with complications of nightmares in the form of “nightmare distress” need the help of specialists. It manifests itself with the following symptoms:

there is a fear of falling asleep;
anticipation of a bad night and strong feelings associated with this fact, leading to insomnia;
intrusive memories of a nightmare that do not go away during the day;
development of a depressive state;
decreased concentration, occurrence of life-threatening situations;
disruption of the cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems.

You should definitely consult a doctor if nightmares appear after a tragedy: a car or plane crash, psychological or physical violence!

Internal causes of poor sleep

Stress, anxiety, psychotrauma . Stressful situations that occurred the day before impair falling asleep, promote night awakenings and provoke nightmares.
Fatigue . Physical or mental stress stimulates the nervous system, which interferes with healthy sleep.
Nervous system disorders . Neuroses, schizophrenia and other similar diseases can impair sleep.
Pregnancy . Changes in hormonal levels in the body of the expectant mother contribute to the occurrence of nightmares.
Alcohol . When alcohol enters the brain, it interferes with its proper functioning. As a result, frequent consumption of strong drinks can lead to poor sleep.
Medicines . Taking certain medications interferes with restful rest. Before using medications, carefully read the instructions and consult your doctor.
Binge eating . Eating a multi-course dinner before bed can make it difficult to fall asleep and increase the risk of nightmares. The body simply does not go into a sleep state because it is “busy” digesting food.
Caffeine . Stimulates the nervous system and prevents our psyche from relaxing. The substance is found in sufficient quantities in coffee, energy drinks, and black tea. Therefore, for good sleep, avoid drinking caffeinated drinks in the afternoon.
Excessive drinking at night . Any drinks taken at night in large quantities make it difficult to fall asleep and, in general, can worsen the quality of sleep.
Diseases . Causes of poor sleep often include pathologies of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. In addition, nightmares and waking up in the night are associated with chronic pain.

What to do if you had a bad dream?

If the reason for an unplanned awakening in the middle of the night is poor sleep, then do not rush to fall asleep again. Your psyche and sympathetic nervous system are in an active state, they simply will not let you sleep.

Turn on a night light or bedside lamp. Chamomile or mint tea will help you calm down. Realize that it was just a dream - a figment of your imagination created by your brain. You have the right to change the plot of the dream and come up with a happy ending. Get rid of the unpleasant moments that were in the dream, replace them with bright and positive events.

A child’s nightmare manifests itself with more violent emotions: screaming, crying, abruptly getting out of bed. The next morning, children may not remember their sleep, but at the moment of awakening it is very important that the parents are nearby and hug the child and calm him down. This gives a feeling of security, helps the child relax and fall asleep again.

Evil eyes, damage and curses as the cause of nightmares

Psychics believe that sometimes the cause of nightmares is the introduction of alien programs into human energy - evil eyes, damage and curses. In many cases, such items are accompanied by a lining. This is some kind of object, perhaps even a trifle, on which the words of a magical conspiracy were previously read. But most often these are bundles of feathers and down, bags of earth and salt, needles stuck in doorposts, etc.

It happens that a brownie sends bad dreams. What he might not like about your family specifically, only you can know. For example, a house-elf acts out in families where quarrels are common.

It is interesting that in the mythology of the Germanic peoples, elves were “responsible” for nightmares. They were depicted sitting on the chest of the sleeping person. Who knows, but maybe it is for this reason that many dreamers experience a feeling of squeezing in the chest?

According to magicians and parapsychologists, in a dream a person enters the astral world . This is the name of the area of reality that is otherworldly in relation to ours. In the astral plane, the sleeping person can be attacked by demons, larvae and other unpleasant entities. They have no fundamental evil towards humanity, we are simply just energy food for them. To take away a piece of a person’s energy, you need to provoke him into a negative emotion, for example, fear. So people have nightmares, and wake up because of them in terrible horror.

The influence of nightmares on the human psyche

Since ancient times, people have been looking for secret meaning in dreams. There are many interpretations of dreams that are displayed in dream books. Very often they are contradictory, which is why a person begins to worry and places a strong emphasis on bad dreams.

Experts advise getting rid of nightmares when they are often repeated, disrupt the usual way of life, lead to a deterioration in general well-being and physical health, and also change the human psyche:

cause increased anxiety, keep a person in constant fear;
lead to worsening mood, depression, apathy or aggression;
can become a trigger for severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia.

The meaning of nightmares

Every dream we have carries a lot of information that we have experienced over a certain period of life.
Thus, it can be assumed that deep perception and human development allows one to see prophetic dreams. Every dream carries some kind of message, you just need to learn to understand the meaning of the events you dreamed of. No one is protected from nightmares. A person has had a terrible dream at least once in his life. But what do these frightening pictures mean in our imagination?

In scary dreams we often see a reflection of the real fears that we experience in real life. For example, if you are afraid of the dark, you may dream of falling from a high place. And if a person has a fear of water, then he dreams of a sea storm.

Scientists have proven that women usually have nightmares with emotional meaning:

quarrel with a friend;
parting with a loved one;
relationship problems.

Women have nightmares at night, and after that they take the dream to heart.

Men have global dreams, such as:

Apocalypse;
fire;
tsunami;
earthquake.

You may also dream of any catastrophes that are difficult for a person’s life.

Each dream has a specific meaning, depending on events in a person's life. A student may dream of a final exam due to dislike for the educational institution. But an office worker having nightmares can serve as a reminder that there is no need to take on too many responsibilities at work, as well as in life.

10 reasons for nightmares and poor sleep

Adequate healthy sleep is necessary for every person on the planet. We need it to restore strength after a hard day. But due to the modern rhythm of life, which includes constant stress, about a third of the population suffers from insomnia or has nightmares. Disorders can be determined by many factors.

Read recommendations on how to get rid of insomnia

Doctors advise keeping a diary in which the patient can record events that may have caused a deterioration in the quality of sleep. This will help analyze the disease and prescribe treatment. There are many reasons that affect sleep. Let's consider the main ones:

1 Overwork

Constant overwork greatly affects the quality of sleep.
Try to get more rest so that you don’t have to look for ways to get rid of bad sleep. You may be so tired at work that now you won’t even be able to fall asleep. Overwork can affect not only the quality of your sleep, but also your overall health. The main signs of sleep disturbance are redness of the eyeballs, decreased reaction, swelling of the face, and nausea.

If you regularly overwork, you will not only have insomnia and nightmares, but also a bunch of other various diseases.

“For a good sleep without nightmares”: advice from psychologists

It is not always possible to cope with bad dreams on your own, especially if they are constantly repeated and too realistic.

Psychologists advise asking for support from loved ones whom you can trust with one hundred percent confidence. Tell them about the problem, it will be easier to find a solution together.
Avoid stressful situations. To relieve anxiety, take sedatives of herbal origin: valerian, motherwort. They have a mild effect and are not addictive.
Practice meditations and affirmations. They will help reduce anxiety, tune in to positive thoughts and program yourself for good sleep.

Living with regular nightmares can become a matter of existing and surviving. The causes of scary dreams and their plots are purely individual, as are the methods of their prevention and treatment. Rarely recurring nightmares do not require therapy and do not pose a threat to health.

Frequent bad dreams will need to be dealt with, and specialists and people around you will need to be involved in the problem. Take care of your psyche and the psyche of your children!

The Origins of Children's Horror Films

A child suffers from dark night visions no less often than an adult. However, the causes of children's horror stories have their own characteristics. Most often they are based on fears and increased anxiety:

if the mother is constantly nervous, anxious, or in a neurotic disorder, this will certainly affect the children. Mom is a source of food and a sense of security, so the offspring feel her condition even without words;
the child experiences a feeling of loneliness due to the fact that relatives do not give due attention;
overprotection also overloads the child’s psyche and provokes dreams about monsters;
fear of not being able to cope, of making a mistake due to increased demands from parents;
confusion due to conflicting messages from adults: grandmother says that you need to eat more, mother scolds for being overweight, father imposes his own nutritional system, and grandfather calls for fasting and doing exercises. It is impossible to please everyone, but it is important for a child to be good in order to receive love.

A negative emotional environment in the family and toxic parents are why children often have bad dreams. As a rule, after the psychological climate changes, the children’s visions become rosy and pleasant.

External causes of poor sleep

Noise . Extraneous sounds reduce the depth of sleep (deep sleep). In this case, the brain cannot relax, so sleep becomes superficial and restless.
Discomfort during sleep. A hard or too soft mattress, along with an uncomfortable pillow and bedding that is unpleasant to the touch, disrupts sleep.
Light . Even low lighting in the bedroom interferes with healthy sleep. Light makes it difficult to produce melatonin, a sleep hormone that is produced in the body when it gets dark.
Unventilated bedroom . Lack of fresh air impairs brain function. The result is bad dreams.
Watching movies or reading books . The plot of book and movie thrillers can make it difficult to fall asleep, especially if you watched or read them right before bed.
Weather . For people with weather sensitivity, nightmares are associated with changes in the weather, be it an increase in air temperature or jumps in atmospheric pressure.
New place to sleep . Spending the night with relatives or, for example, in a hotel can turn into nightmares.

If you constantly have the same nightmare

What if you often or every night and always have the same nightmare? First of all, try to analyze it and connect it with life and experiences. Perhaps, by solving problems and eliminating negative factors in reality, you will achieve a relaxing holiday.

Tips to help you get rid of a recurring nightmare:

Draw the dream on paper in detail and realistically. Experience the emotions again, immerse yourself in what is happening, and then burn the sheet. This technique will help clear your mind and get rid of negativity.
Come up with a new scenario. Remember the last moment from which alarming events begin. Come up with a new continuation with different situations and characters, so that in the end everything will end and be resolved safely.
Describe the dream in detail in a notebook or diary. Analyze what is happening in the dream, try to understand why this happens, what is scary. Such a “debriefing” will help you approach the situation more simply and experience it more calmly.
Change the way you think. Learn to think differently in life, don’t tune in to the negative, program yourself only for the good. Then there will be fewer worries and reasons for nightmares, and the brain will begin to work differently.
Tell me the dream. Describe the details in detail, talk about your emotions. It will become easier, but if relief does not come, make an appointment with a psychologist and work with him: he will help you find the root of the problem and eliminate the experiences or fears that cause bad dreams.