There are some reasons that are cited behind the occurrence of nightmares such as excessive junk food, poor exercise, insufficient sleep and stress. Nightmares can also be interpreted logically and are a way of expressing your subconscious feelings. Here are a few ways which can help you to deal with nightmares.
Avoid watching scary movies before bedtime
Watching horror movies before bedtime can actually increase the likeliness for having a nightmare. The entire process of watching a scary movie leads to a lot of stress. These feelings of fear and stress remain in your subconscious and find a way of expression through nightmares. Most of the times, people talk about visualizing similar things that they had seen in the horror movie. This is mostly found in children who have nightmares after having watched a scary or violent movie the same night. Fear leads to emotional stress and conflict within, which might bring back painful memories in the subconscious, leading to nightmares.
Seek comfort if you have had a nightmare
If you happen to share your bed with someone, then do let them know that you have had a nightmare. The most important thing to do for a person who has woken up with terror after a nightmare would be to seek solace and comfort through someone. That person could probably offer you a hug or listen to the details of the nightmare – which eventually will help you recover from the shock. If the person next to you is asleep then simply cuddle on to him/her and try to place your head on the person’s chest to listen to their heartbeats, which is a good way of regaining calm.
Try writing about your nightmare
If the nightmare you had is bothering you in your thoughts throughout the day, then try to drown the thoughts by penning down the nightmare in detail. Write about all that you saw and how you felt during the nightmare and after. Writing down fearful thoughts is a good way to get rid of them and they also offer a sense of closure for all that had happened. It also helps you to get an insight of what the nightmare could have represented and how it could be connected to your life.
Play soft and soothing music before sleeping
Music can actually release a lot of stress and tension that you have been carrying throughout the day. Try to make time and listen to soft music that actually relaxes your nerves and provides you some time to reflect on your thoughts with deep introspection. Music is like meditation because after a while, all the thoughts stop flooding your mind and you are at peace with yourself. Therefore, playing soft music would definitely dispel negative images and thoughts from your mind and give you a peaceful night’s sleep.
Pray or meditate
If you are a believer and are religious, then try to offer a little prayer to God each night. A small prayer is a way of connecting with God and also brings a feeling of peace and contentment within. A prayer will clarify your thought and bring out the positive side to you, draining out all the negativity from within. However, if you are not religious then you could probably turn on some music for meditation. Meditation is great for improving concentration and also reduces all your thoughts to fill your mind with a sense of peace.
Think of pleasant thoughts
Out thought processes, emotions and state of mind are actually responsible for what we dream. Dreams are a representation of what is going on in our subconscious mind and we can rightly say that dreams – whether good or bad – are emotional residues of our feelings throughout the day. Give yourself at least five minutes to ponder over the bad thoughts that went on through your head and how you could resolve them. By doing this, you will be sleeping with a clear mind that won’t give rise to nightmares. Hence, pleasant thoughts can actually prepare you for a peaceful night’s sleep.
Eat healthy
You must give a lot of importance to what you eat because you are what you eat! A good and healthy diet can reduce the incidence of nightmares in a person, whereas junk food can actually increase the same. Dinner should not be too heavy, spicy and greasy. Try to eat at least two hours before you head for your bed. Sweets are known to trigger nightmares, hence stop having sugary snacks and candies before sleeping.
