Experts told how to get rid of nightmares

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, from 50% to 85% of adults complain of nightmares. Usually, dreams include events that occur during the day. Nightmares are “vivid, realistic, and disturbing dreams associated with threats to survival or safety, which often cause feelings of anxiety, fear, or terror.”

If nightmares recur more than once or twice a week, then it can cause stress, insomnia, depression and even suicidal moods. Lack of sleep, in turn, negatively affects the work of the cardiovascular system and provokes obesity. These 10 simple steps will help you get rid of nightmares and get a good night's sleep.

First, you need to set the sleep mode. To do this, you need to determine the exact time of sleep and wakefulness. When the body gets used to the routine, it will be easier for it to relax at a certain time. It is also important that there are no glowing objects in the room: they disrupt the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

Alcohol can cause nightmares. It provokes anxiety and awakening during the night. Instead, experts recommend trying herbal teas, reading or talking with your partner. You should also avoid eating at night. A snack can speed up the metabolism, which will make the brain more active and eventually lead to nightmares. Some medications also affect their appearance. In this case, you should consult your doctor.

Nightmares activate the sympathetic nervous system, the “fight or flight” system, which is the body's natural response to impending danger, experts note. Stress-relieving exercises will help you relax in this case. It is especially worth paying attention to the progressive relaxation of muscles – the tension of muscle groups during inhalation and relaxation during exhalation, according to CNN. Another way to relax is to write down all your worries before going to bed. In this way, troubling problems remain on paper, freeing the brain from daily impressions. At the same time, it is important not to watch or read horrors that can fill the brain with new emotions and images.

If chronic nightmares that repeat similar themes and patterns bother you, then they can be rewritten. There are such practices to get rid of nightmares. It is necessary to describe the scary dream in detail, but end it positively. You can try another unusual way, for example, to refuse complete silence. Some people do not like to sleep in complete silence, and background noise will be an excellent “lullaby” for them.

If nothing helps, and nightmares still occur, you should contact a therapist or a sleep specialist. Experts warn that nightmares can be a sign of a more serious problem than just vulnerability. Yes, this is a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder or mood disorder.