To prevent bad dreams. Why do I have bad dreams?

Why do I always have bad dreams?

Dreams pop up in our brain during every sleep. However, not everyone is able to remember them for a long time. Dreams are fragments of memories formed according to the script of your subconscious. Not everyone can consciously control their sleep. That is why the plot of dreams is often absurd and unrealistic.

The content of dreams in most cases is related to recent positive or negative moments in your life. Therefore, in many ways, bad and good dreams depend on internal experiences . For example, if you are under severe stress, this will most likely affect the quality of your sleep and result in nightmares.

Interestingly, bad dreams are associated not only with internal experiences, but also with external factors, for example, lighting in the bedroom, noise, temperature, etc. We will talk about this in more detail later.

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.

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.

Diseases and medications

An increase in body temperature can be a serious cause of nightmares. Moreover, this condition can lead the patient to hallucinations. The cause of a dream in which you are tormented by suffocation may be the notorious runny nose.

The same effects can be expected from some medications, especially antidepressants, barbiturates and narcotic substances. To find out the reason why you have bad dreams, read the instructions for the medications you are taking.

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.

Nightmares

When you have bad dreams, sometimes a person does not wake up immediately and continues to experience unpleasant moments. Psychology defines a nightmare as a dream of a frightening nature, memorable for a long time . After waking up, there is weakness, headache and concern about your sleep.

According to scientists, a nightmare is the result of the activity of the human brain. It manifests itself in different ways in different people. Some wake up in a cold sweat, others with a racing heart, and still others with their own screaming or crying. Some people may have all of the above symptoms. Moreover, fear and experienced feelings remain with the unfortunate person for a long time and do not allow him to relax. Waking up occurs in different ways and is influenced by the stages of sleep:

1. REM sleep phase. If you have nightmares during this period, a person wakes up faster and immediately understands that this did not happen in reality. This option is easier to experience and it takes less time to forget it.
2. Deep slow sleep phase. The awakened one does not immediately understand that this is all unreal. He experiences severe drowsiness, he breaks out in a sweat, his breathing becomes impaired and his pulse quickens. Blood pressure may rise and memory may be temporarily impaired. This is the most difficult and long-remembered dream.

But nightmares also have some advantages - they help get rid of some problems and pay attention to your well-being. If they are repeated often, a person needs rest and working through problematic situations.

Prophetic dreams for Christmas: interpretation, time of fulfillment

The human brain receives psychological overload and gets rid of it with the help of dreams. If the same dream is constantly repeated, this is a signal from the subconscious that there is a serious and unresolved problem that needs to be worked out. For example, a bad dream about a guy or girl speaks of problems in relationships, especially if it repeats itself almost every night. Until young people sort things out among themselves, the nightmare will appear again and again.

Why does my child constantly have bad dreams?

• Family quarrels. Conflicts between mom and dad affect the child’s psyche. This in turn impairs sleep.
• Fear of the dark or “monsters.” Both phobias are characteristic of preschool children, and they appear relatively often. Sometimes it is because of them that children sleep with their parents in the same room until they are 7 years old.
• Changes in external conditions. Moving or visiting kindergarten or school for the first time can disrupt a child’s sleep. After all, a new unknown environment is often stressful for him.
• Psychological depression. Constant reproaches against a child from parents, caregivers or teachers can easily provoke sleep disturbances. This also includes pressure from classmates or other children from the environment.
• Lack of parental attention. Fear of loneliness prevents a child from sleeping well. Fear is especially pronounced if the mother constantly works and has little contact with the child.
• Puberty and relationship problems. In teenagers, bad dreams are often associated with puberty. A surge of hormones and unrequited love can become prerequisites for sleep disorders.

When should you ignore nightmares?

Our dreams are “ruled” by the Moon - this feature was noticed by our ancestors back in ancient times.

Dreams that occur on the waning moon talk about the past and what will soon leave our lives. Dreams that appear to us during the growth of the Moon will tell us about the future, about those events that will very soon fill our existence.

• A terrible dream can unsettle anyone, but one should not look for a terrible prophecy in it if it appeared on the waning Moon.
• During the full moon, people most often have terrible dreams (especially if a person is overly impressionable). “Nightmares of the full moon” mean absolutely nothing, but merely reflect the dreamer’s internal state and are a projection of his own fears.
• Dreams of 2 lunar days (bad and good) are empty and do not foretell anything. There is no need to attach meaning to them and try to figure them out. Just don't think about what you saw.
• Of the dreams of the 5th lunar day, only those that have a positive orientation come true. Nightmares and unpleasant visions mean absolutely nothing.
• A terrible dream seen on the 9th lunar day (sometimes also called “satanic”) is absolutely meaningless.
• Dreams that occur on the 16th lunar day are considered empty. This applies to both good and bad dreams.
• If you had a nightmare on the 17th lunar day, it should be regarded as a favorable dream. It’s just that the interpretation should be “turned around.”
• On the 22nd lunar day, people most often have terrible dreams. However, they do not carry a prophecy, but only a warning. Thus, our subconscious warns us of danger and gives us time to take appropriate measures.
• All dreams that a person has on the 25th lunar day are false and deceptive. This applies to both favorable dreams and nightmares. Just throw the dream out of your head - it means absolutely nothing.
• There is no need to solve dreams that occurred on the 27th lunar day. They are usually confusing and meaningless. What he saw does not lend itself to any intelligible explanation, and it is not worth trying to unravel it.
• Dreams of the 29th lunar day are very unpleasant, although empty. You should not attach importance to them, although the painful feeling generated by them will haunt you for a long time.

We advise you to read: New dress in a dream: interpretation

I have bad dreams every night. What to do?

After waking up, realize that everything you saw was just a dream and most likely far from reality. If you wake up in the middle of the night, don't go straight to bed. Get out of bed, turn on the night light, this will help you come to your senses faster. If your partner wakes up with you, tell him about the nightmare. The words of your loved one will calm you down and after a while you will be able to fall asleep again.

Did your child have a bad dream? Hug and comfort him, offer tea with sedative herbs.

If you notice that your child is tossing and turning in bed, calm him down in a whisper, trying not to wake him up. If he doesn't calm down, wake him up and hug him. Explain that it was just a dream. You can give the child herbal tea, and then put the child to bed.

To help your baby fall asleep, read a good story or sing a lullaby. A good option would be to have your baby sleep with you in the same room or in the same bed.

What should you do if you had a bad dream?

Sometimes bad dreams fuel intrusive thoughts throughout the day. Many people believe that nightmares tend to come true. What to do in this situation?

It has been scientifically proven that self-hypnosis leads to the fact that your obsessive thoughts can turn into reality.

Therefore, after waking up, try not to think about a bad dream. Tell yourself that you just had a bad dream, a figment of your imagination, and everything is fine in your life, and it will always be so.

Traditional healers recommend that after a bad sleep, stand under running water, wash your hands, while saying: “Where the night goes, sleep goes.” If it helps you, then do it. If you are a believer, pray before going to bed and in the morning. Sometimes prayer has great power.

How to get rid of bad dreams: advice from a psychologist

Nightmares are directly related to life's difficulties and inner experiences. This means that by working with your own psyche, you will be able to improve your sleep.

Exercises for bad dreams:

• Describe all your dreams in a diary or smartphone notes . No matter how terrible the dream was, after waking up, write down its plot with all the details in a notepad or notes on your mobile phone. Try to understand what is written that scares you the most. Such an analysis of dreams will help you reconsider your attitude towards a situation that has deprived you of normal rest. In addition, daily record keeping will help a psychologist quickly solve the problem of poor sleep if you seek help from a specialist.
• Tell your loved ones about your nightmares. When a person shares a problem with someone, he feels better. Tell those closest to you about your nighttime experiences. Tell us what's bothering you. If this doesn't help, consult a psychologist. A professional will identify your phobias and work through them with you.
• Change your thinking. Think differently. Not the way you did it before. Change. A person does not develop if he does not change his thinking. Books, personal growth trainings, interest groups, etc. will help you with this. Be sure that by changing your thinking, your fears, along with nightmares, will disappear into oblivion.
• Create the image of a nightmare. One of the exercises in the psychologist’s arsenal. Draw or write the scenes of your nightmares on a separate sheet of paper. Then burn or tear this piece of paper into small pieces. This approach is often effective, which is why it is included in the psychotherapy program. By the way, when playing with fire, remember fire safety.
• Changing the scenario. An exercise similar to the previous one. Write or draw how you would like the bad dream to end. Come up with a good ending, get it down on paper, and visualize the happy ending in your head. This technique is also used in psychotherapy.

The essence of the problem?

According to experts, nightmares can occur most often in the morning, when the brain remembers them. This may be due to problems in your personal life, when negative thoughts accumulate and manifest themselves in the form of bad dreams, and sometimes even nightmares.

Some people believe that bad sleep is a kind of unloading through which all the negativity comes out of a person, which means it is not entirely bad. Nightmares are a little different; most often in nightmares a person sees himself dead, and if such dreams occur regularly, then, apparently, it is better for you to change your place of sleep or consult a psychotherapist.

It would be useful to have help from loved ones in this situation, since the situation in the family can directly influence night dreams.

How to make bad dreams good

• Avoid stress or learn to deal with it. Take a bath before bed, meditate, exercise. In other words, find an activity that will relax you.
• Be positive . Positive emotions help cope with nightmares. Also, set yourself an achievable goal that inspires you and work towards it. The desire for results will charge you with positive energy and get rid of bad dreams.
• Maintain a strict sleep schedule. Always go to bed and get up at the same time. Even on weekends. This will help the body “get into rhythm” and reduce stress levels in general.
• Get at least 8 hours of sleep. Lack of sleep increases the body's susceptibility to stress. And if you don’t constantly get enough sleep, there is a high probability that you will only have bad dreams.
• Create a ritual and stick to it before bed. In our case, a ritual is an activity after which you feel strongly drawn to sleep. Such a ritual could include reading books, taking a bath with aromatic oils, or walking near the house. Rituals will only work if you perform them daily.
• Don't drink alcohol before bed. Alcohol interferes with the functioning of the brain, which results in nightmares. Therefore, if you constantly have bad dreams, you will have to give up strong drinks until your sleep normalizes.
• Avoid drinking coffee or strong tea in the afternoon. Caffeine in tea or coffee stimulates the nervous system. This in turn provokes nightmares.
• Relax after work. When you get home in the evening, switch to “rest mode” and don’t think about anything related to your professional activities or what upsets you.
• Don't quarrel with your household. Conflicts within the home make it difficult to relax after a hard day. Be patient and don't talk about sensitive topics if you're having nightmares. Save this for later.
• Create comfortable sleeping conditions. 20-30 minutes before going to bed, ventilate the bedroom, then close the curtains tightly. Remove all luminous devices from the room with the bed, get rid of extraneous sources of noise. Sleep in complete darkness, turn off the TV in the bedroom if you are going to sleep. Buy a comfortable orthopedic mattress for your weight, a pillow with neck support and bedding that is comfortable to the touch.

What do they pay attention to?

There is a popular belief that dreams do not always come true.

To understand whether it can come true, you need to take into account the position of the moon, the day of the week and the time of day. It is believed that:

1. A prophetic dream can only occur at dawn.
2. On Monday he gives the schedule for the week.
3. What you dream about from Tuesday to Wednesday or from Thursday to Friday often comes true.
4. A Sunday dream can only come true in the first half of the day. If you dreamed of something terrible, sit out the weekend at home and nothing bad will happen.

People involved in astrology believe that you need to pay attention to a nightmare you have had on the new moon, when energy information is laid down for the entire lunar month. 8, 12,13, 25 and 28 lunar days may bring important information that should be taken into account. Nightmares that occur at this time require cleansing ritual actions.

If a person does not suffer from an excess of emotions, leads a calm lifestyle and does not have mental problems, then he can consider some visions as prophetic. Usually the following events occur in them:

1. Dead relatives may come in a dream - with reproaches, warnings of danger, words of gratitude.
2. A monk can inform about the occurrence of an important event.
3. A dreamed icon indicates a change in worldview.
4. Water always indicates future changes.
5. An attack by animals and reptiles signals upcoming quarrels and intrigues.

There is no need to be afraid of such dreams, they need to be taken into account and some steps must be taken so that they do not come true or the damage is much less. Many people avoid trouble when they perceive what they dreamed as important information and do not try to get rid of it, but use it in planning their day.

Dreams and their content have always excited the imagination of people, forcing them to look for a prediction of the future or a hint of a solution to current problems. Sometimes dreams are so vivid and exciting that they overshadow reality.

Anyone who sees them wakes up every morning with regret and waits all day - he can’t wait to plunge into the magical world of dreams again.

But other dreams also happen - difficult, unpleasant ones. Some of them leave a painful, sticky feeling of impending disaster. Others show people they know or love in impossible, strange, or dangerous circumstances. Still others are terrible nightmares, causing panic, irresistible horror and forcing you to wake up with a scream on your lips and a desperately beating heart. What to do if you had such a bad dream?

First you need to figure out why you had a bad dream. It often happens that an unpleasant dream has no mystical background and was the result of a completely material reason. For example, if you go to bed after a large, fatty dinner, there is a good chance of waking up in the morning from a terrible nightmare with the walking dead or unappetizing fauna.

An unventilated bedroom before bed, overly fluffy pillows and a stuffy nose can in a dream turn into a fall from a height, drowning in water or a desperate flight from hordes of terrible enemies.

Those who have worked themselves to the point of nervous exhaustion may continue to work while sleeping, or wander until exhaustion in a dark labyrinth, not finding a way out.

Often bad, disturbing dreams are experienced by people who are in a difficult situation from which they cannot find a way out. The brain continues to search for a solution to the problem even during rest, and the feeling of hopelessness gives rise to images that make sleep frightening or unpleasant.

Sometimes a person may not be aware of a change for the worse in any circumstances, but the subconscious mind registers every little thing and in a dream gives the consciousness a hint as to what to pay attention to.

So, sometimes poor sleep becomes a harbinger of illness. While awake, a person does not notice the body’s signals about the onset of the disease - he is busy with completely different things. However, at night, when the worries of the day fade away, the brain processes weak signals from the body and outputs them.

A similar mechanism can operate in the case when the one who sees the dream is a victim of deception or betrayal: the nuances in the behavior of a loved one are not registered by consciousness, but are obvious on a subconscious level, and the consequence of this is a “prophetic” dream.

However, often bad dreams are a common release of nervous tension or a change in hormonal levels in the body. Thus, women quite often experience unpleasant dreams as one of the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. They are also common among those who have been in a stressful situation for a long time: this way the accumulated negativity is reset. These dreams are incoherent and illogical, their content is quickly forgotten.