Consider trying these tips before bedtime to reduce or eliminate nightmares.
First, become more aware of all your dreams by journaling each day when you are awake.
Next, you must keep the goal of lucid dreaming in your mind as you drift off to sleep.
Grace Warwick, a therapist, explained toi-Dthat this shifting phenomenon is called a “transliminal experience.”
The experts atSleep.comhave some tips for improving the consistency of your sleep schedule.
It’s helpful to take steps to manage mental health conditions before sleeping to make it avoid bad dreams.
In a study fromJournal of Sleep Research, it was reported that thought suppression can contribute to nightmares.
Even worse, nightmares are more likely to occur if your sleeping environment is too warm.
Dr. Neil Stanley explained toThe Daily Mailthat a warm room can cause a person to have less restful sleep.
Dreaming more vividly can spell disaster for someone who has a nightmare.
The images from a bad dream may be more easily remembered and more traumatizing.
Benton also warned that any use of your phone can cause poor sleep initiation or sleep disruption.
Harvard Medical Schoolreports that any kind of light source can suppress melatonin, the hormone that impacts sleep.
Change your sleep position
Sleep position plays a big role in overall health.
For example, sleeping on your stomach has been linked to lower back, neck, and shoulder pain.
Sleeping on your back can be horrible for sleep apnea.
Despite the drowsy effect it may cause,alcohol is actually disruptive to sleep.
The sleeper is also not able to cycle into REM as effectively.
Neurologist Karen Lee toldForbesthat many of her patients also report haunting and evocative dreams after consuming alcohol.
Lee explained that this is the result of your brain working to metabolize the alcohol during sleep.
If you suffer from frequent bad dreams, it’s best to reduce alcohol consumption to improve dream quality.
Consult your physician to understand the side effects that may be triggered by your medications.
GoodRxalso recommends discussinga melatonin supplementwith your doctor to determine if it’s safe to use with your current medications.
There is no evidence to support that melatonin causes bad dreams.
Similar to alcohol withdrawal, coming off certain medications may also be causing bad dreams.
According to Sleep Foundation, this is because some medications reduce REM sleep.
Talk to your doctor or a sleep specialist if medications are causing bad dreams.
There are therapy modalities designed by psychologists, neuroscientists, and sleep experts to help with bad dreams.
Imagery rehearsal therapy is one, and exposure, relaxation, and rescripting therapy (ERRT) is another.
These are types of cognitive behavioral approaches to reducing the distress of nightmares.
These modalities are often used on individuals with nightmares related to PTSD.
These types of modalities allow an individual to rewrite the ending of a bad dream.
The journaling and script-writing are done after the person is awake from a dream.
