The world of dreams is surrounded by mystery and confusion. Sometimes we try to interpret what we dream, sometimes we give it great importance and other times we overlook details of the dream that could help us improve in our day to day. The truth is that we dream every night, although most of the time we do not remember dreams and, generally, it is not a problem if you wake up in the morning and remember a pleasant dream or even an erotic dream. The problem arises when what we dream is a nightmare.
Why do we have nightmares?
- Having a nightmare one night is not a problem at all, but if the nightmares become recurring, it can affect your health, since your sleep rhythm is altered, preventing you from sleeping well and, therefore, resting. It also happens that many people who suffer from nightmares frequently delay as much as possible the moment of going to bed for fear of dreaming something unpleasant.
- The nightmare is nothing more than a physical and psychological reaction caused by our emotional state, be it anguish, stress, anxiety, worry or a post-traumatic state. Very often nightmares appear after having suffered an accident, or an illness or a near death. The nightmare is, therefore, the reflection of our concerns, fears, fears and concerns.
How to control nightmares
- It is not easy to face a case of recurring nightmares, but psychologists say that it is convenient to reflect on the dream to improve our personal development. Some of the most frequent nightmares are the chase, falls, monsters or people that frighten us, the house that collapses or the death of a loved one.
- All these nightmares reflect the dreamer’s daily fears. It may be that you are trying to avoid someone and you don’t know how to do it, you may be worried about not being able to keep your family together, it may be a fear of the unknown when you are facing a new life stage, etc.
- If you dream the same nightmare for several nights and it affects your daily life, you can try to change that nightmare. We warn that it is not easy, but the experts assure that a person can change the script of what is going to happen in his nightmare if he knows the details in advance. Before going to sleep, visualize the nightmare and mentally modify it until you give it an acceptable ending. In this way, that nightmare will not repeat itself.
- In any case, to avoid having nightmares it is also important to maintain a regular sleep schedule and avoid drinking stimulating drinks such as tea or coffee in the late afternoon. It is also important to avoid alcohol and, if you are taking a new medication, consult your doctor, because it may be that medication that is causing your nightmares. You can take into account that phototherapy helps you sleep better and if you do some physical exercise for a while before going to bed you will sleep more relaxed.
