Nightmare troubles? How to get rid of them?

Nightmares are more common than one might think and not just for kids but also for adults. Nightmare disorder or sleep deprivation due to nightmares can really affect a person’s day to day activities. Disturbing dreams can be unsettling, especially when they are frequent. 

No matter your age, having nightmares can be an unpleasant experience. One might often be anxious and scared even during the day as the nightmare replays  in their head. While many people may occasionally experience nightmares, it is less probable that they will occur frequently.

It's possible to believe you're the only adult who experiences unsettling nightmares when you wake up in terror. After all, aren't nightmares something adults should grow out of?

Even though one in two adults occasionally experience nightmares, children seem to have them more frequently. The percentage of adults who experience nightmares ranges from 2 to 8%.

Are your nightmares seriously upsetting you? Are they frequently disturbing your sleep? If so, it's crucial to figure out what's triggering your adult nightmares. After that, you can alter your behaviour to lessen their frequency.

If you notice your nightmares getting more frequent, you might be suffering from nightmare disorder. 

What is Nightmare Disorder?

Nightmare Disorder or Dream Anxiety disorder is a rare sleep disruptive disorder (parasomnia) that describes frequent, extremely unsettling and disturbing dreams. People with this condition often remember their nightmares crystal clear the following day. Nightmares can feel very realistic.

They are realistic enough to yank you from your sleep in the middle of the night with your heart pounding. It can be a very scary experience and often leads to adults losing sleep due to the fear of these nightmares. 

This condition is known to affect 4% of adults worldwide, causing sleep deprivation in them.  

Most nightmares typically happen during REM Sleep ie. the Rapid Eye Movement sleep. This is the phase of your sleep where most of the dreaming occurs. Nightmares often occur at early morning hours like 3-5 am when you’re in the deepest sleep. 

Nightmares vary and are relative to the person. Most common nightmares occur based on traumatic events. Most of the time, adults experience falling from very high heights or running from a dangerous person/being. Many times, it also happens that people relive bad experiences like accidents/assault/robbery -  in their dreams. 

Causes of Nightmares:

Nightmares can occur without any triggering or might be a side effect of medication too. Here are a few causes of nightmares:

• Late night snack- heightened metabolism leads to active brain activity
• Side effects of certain medication
• Narcotics and Antidepressants are associated with nightmares
• Change in medication or sudden withdrawal of alcohol/drugs
• Psychological triggers like anxiety & depression

Up to 71 % of people with Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience nightmares and it is one of the main reasons for recurring nightmares in adults.

While recurring nightmares can be very scary for even adults, the condition can always be helped with the support of a doctor and also processes like sleep study. Assessing sleep often helps professionals to find out the underlying causes of nightmares.

Your healthcare practitioner might suggest doing a sleep study if there is a connection between your nightmares and an underlying sleep disorder. A test that is frequently carried out at an overnight medical facility is a sleep study. Your doctor can use the test results to assess whether you have a sleep condition that may be the cause of your recurrent nightmares.

Treatments for Nightmares:

There are several treatments that can help you with your recurring nightmares. A few of them can be done by yourself whereas others require the help of a medical professional.

Your nightmares may become less frequent if you make certain lifestyle adjustments. 

Here are a few things that can be done for nightmare troubles:

• Exercise: three times a week
• Limiting alcohol and caffeine intake 
• Relaxing activities like - yoga/meditation 
• A healthy sleeping pattern 
• A comfortable sleeping space 
• Avoid using phone/laptops and other electronic gadgets before bed

Treating other related conditions:

Treating conditions like high stress or depression can help with nightmare troubles. It may help resolve the thoughts and fears that lead to nightmares. Practising deep breathing to calm yourself down in the middle of the night is also a technique most therapists use. Psychotherapy and CBT- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy are two most effective solutions to the problem.

CBT:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that helps change moods and behaviour by modifying thought patterns. CBT sessions are often short and look upon solving current troublesome situations that may be causing stress/depression and hence nightmares- in adults.

You may even be asked to discuss the nightmare with your therapist to reach its underlying cause and the thought process behind it. 

A major part of CBT also involves writing down your thoughts and feelings. You may be asked to maintain a journal for the same. This process is proven to help individuals with nightmare troubles- fall asleep faster. This is very close to a process called Imagery Rehearsal Therapy.

Imagery Rehearsal Therapy is recalling your nightmares during the day time and consciously altering its ending. You may write it down and give your nightmare a changed ending in a way that the dream is no longer threatening. It is basically writing down a bad memory in a way that it is less traumatising for the person.

The bottom line:

There are a number of other steps you can take on your own that may help reduce your recurring nightmares. Make sure to keep your sleeping space tranquil and relaxing and avoid any unhealthy eating  habits before bed. 

There is usually always an underlying issue behind recurring nightmares. This cause may occasionally be linked to stress or anxiety, using medications, or even abusing drugs. If self help steps don’t seem to work on the frequency of your nightmares, you should definitely seek professional help.

Speak with a doctor or mental health expert if you believe that having frequent nightmares is impacting your quality of life. You might be able to lessen or get rid of your recurring nightmares after you address the underlying problem.