Cause nightmares. Why do we have nightmares

A rare person can boast that he never has nightmares, many have experienced their consequences: headache, anxiety, broken state. But, according to scientists, the benefits of nightmares are undeniable - in this way the human brain processes unpleasant impressions, emotions and internal conflicts that a person experiences. This helps to get rid of stress, nervousness, often makes it possible to pay attention to the existence of a problem on a subconscious level that a person is not aware of.

Everyone is interested in: if you have nightmares, what is it for. If nightmares are caused by external (light, noise) or introduced (alcohol, overeating) factors, then getting rid of them is easy - just eliminate the irritant: turn off the light or not eat up at night. In other cases, a person should think about what exactly he sees in nightmares - most likely in these dreams you can find information about psychological or physical diseases, complexes or hidden problems.

If you see element-related nightmares in a dream, what should you do? A natural disaster of any level, up to the apocalypse, means a threat from the outside, perceived at a subconscious level, as insurmountable. A real threat to health or life, expected or predictable, symbolizes a weakness of character, a stressful situation, self-doubt. It would be worthwhile to mobilize and try to cope with the problem on your own, but, most likely, you will have to involve third parties in solving the problem.

A trap syndrome in which nothing seems to threaten, but the situation is hopeless, a classic phobia. If you constantly have nightmares, in fact, the body reports a panic situation in which a person is not able to make the only right and right decision. The threat of dismissal, difficulties in the family, domestic conflicts are practically not solved by involving a third party; will have to cope on their own. Paranoid manifestations, up to persecution mania, are a syndrome of a stalemate in personal relationships. A “tyrant” boss, a rowdy neighbor, an unscrupulous business partner - there are enough situations in our life in which a weak-willed person cannot stand up for himself properly.

Why did you have a nightmare in which there was an illness, being on your deathbed? Such dreams indicate a turning point in real life. A new job, entering or graduating from an educational institution, a change in family or social status often cause us to have nightmares in our dreams.

Are Nightmares Beneficial?

Psychologists distinguish several types of useful nightmares:

when moving to another stage in development (for example, personal growth), a discharge of emotions in the form of nightmares is almost inevitable, but their outcome is usually positive - a person overcomes the difficulties and dangers that meet him in a dream.
For a survivor of severe psychological trauma (for example, after a natural disaster or the loss of a loved one), nightmares help get rid of negative emotions and restore peace of mind.

Why do you have nightmares?

First of all, if you had a nightmare, don't be nervous. It depends on the stage of sleep at which the person woke up. So, waking up in the fast phase, he immediately understands that what was happening was just a dream, while in the slow sleep stage, he is not always able to assess where he is and what is reality.

This condition is often accompanied by fear and confusion, high blood pressure and temperature, memory impairment and rapid breathing. Many people cry, moan, and even scream in their sleep as they experience nightmarish adventures. A person experiences what happened to him in a nightmare for a long time, scrolling through the events in his mind again and again. If such a nightmare haunts you, look into the dream book. Here you will find an explanation that will most likely reassure you.

Nightmares in a dream: we study the reasons

What causes nightmares? They often originate in childhood emotional and psychological trauma: parental quarrels, physical abuse or severe fear can greatly affect a person’s entire subsequent life. However, even an adult who has seen or experienced such strong shocks as violence or an accident is unlikely to escape this fate.

Diseases of various etymologies, from internal organs to the nervous system, are reflected in a person's dreams. Snorers or sleep apnea sufferers, for example, have nightmares every night related to lack of air. And headaches and high temperatures can lead to fights, wars and other scenes of violence in a dream. Equally contributing to nightmares are modern illnesses such as overwork, stress, and depression. Weave into dreams, turning them into nightmares, and external stimuli, such as bright lights, noise, loud noises, stuffiness or strong odors.

Alcoholic or drug intoxication, excess caffeine, the beginning or withdrawal of sleeping pills, antidepressants or other drugs lead to restless unpleasant dreams. Overeating before bedtime or physical fatigue also leads to night terrors. Horrors are also dreamed of by those who “just” are forced to perform monotonous, repetitive actions every day, such as routine work that requires increased attention and scrupulousness or responsibility.

What to do if you have nightmares? Impressive people should avoid watching horror movies and computer games before bed, as well as interacting with unpleasant people. Terrible dreams are frequent guests of creative personalities.

Why do I have nightmares during pregnancy?

Many girls worry because they have nightmares during pregnancy. Such dreams are sometimes prophetic, but they do not threaten you in any way. Most often, the reason is your unstable emotional state. You are nervous, and this manifests itself in dreams. How to get rid of nightmares at night? Walk more before going to bed, try to fall asleep with good thoughts. Buy yourself a comfortable pillow. If it's hot in your bedroom, put on a fan.

How to get rid of nightmares in a dream?

So, having nightmares, what to do? To get rid of them, you will have to find out what the body is trying to communicate through dreams, understand yourself and solve disturbing problems. An analysis of sleep, its plot and symbols will help you identify problems and find ways to solve them.

I had a nightmare: what to do?

It is worth writing down the details of sleep for a detailed analysis of its components. You may need to discuss the dream with a third-party confidant in order to see yourself from the outside. Communication with real people who are also involved in the nightmare (if any) will also help resolve the current situation.

How to stop nightmares? The best way is to figure out its causes and solve the problem in reality, “program” the subconscious mind for a happy ending to sleep: come up with a happy ending to the plot, read it or tell someone aloud. In any case, one should not be afraid of nightmares, because these are just messages from the subconscious about existing problems, psychological or physiological, that need to be addressed.

If you had a nightmare - look into the dream book. It is likely that your dream is not a nightmare at all, but a good omen.

Dream Interpretation Nightmare Nightmare: Expresses an intense psychic conflict that is most likely centered on some form of repressed sexual desire. These desires are practically not realized, accompanied by fear, which turns erotic dreams into a nightmare. Fear, which is the basis of the nightmare experience, is associated with an internal guilt complex, often coming from prohibition and suppression of desire. Pressure on the chest, chest, resulting in labored breathing or restricted movement. Submission in the act of sexual intercourse in which the individual plays a passive role. Sadism and aggression. Combination of love with guilt and fear. If the desire is incestuous, then a strong sense of inner guilt may be associated with punishment, expressed in impotence. In a certain area, dream incubation is successful in repelling and alleviating guilt if it is mitigated through religious rites that promote the transfer of sin to a particular demon. Moreover, the process itself does not change, only the words change: the libido is a dissolute demon, to which the individual does not feel responsible. It is not necessary to discover the source of an irresolvable conflict, since all objects are known and are represented in a symbolic or in a real form. Just like the fear of the dark, fear can be dispelled by working through the symbolic essence of the figures and emotions of dreams. Nightmares of early childhood occurring or recurring in middle age: refer to the traumatic experience of birth. Psychoanalytic dream book

Dream Interpretation Nightmare Nightmares: should be taken as a positive experience. They allow us to work with unresolved real-life problems that we are trying to keep out of consciousness. These problems harm us at all levels of life, including health and relationships. Imagine that you are returning to a nightmare, and play it through your imagination several times. Change the plot of the dream so that the outcome is in your favor. This will help heal those areas of your soul that have become the source of the nightmare. American dream book

Dream Interpretation Nightmare Nightmare. To dream that disgusting nightmares are pressing on you means disputes and failures in business. For a young woman, this dream prophesies disappointment and undeserved neglect. It may also be a warning to the woman who had this dream: be careful with your health and food. Big dream book

Dream Interpretation Nightmares, fears When demonic beings detect and fix the consciousness of a person as their victim (first in a dream), then the dreamer experiences animal fear, reaching horror. At the same time, upon awakening, a person feels an increase or decrease in pressure, skin goosebumps, changes in heat and cold in the body, shaking and trembling. This is characteristic of black magic dreams.> Dream Interpretation of Black Magic

Interpretation of sleep Nightmare A nightmare is a dream of disputes and failures in business. For a young woman, such a dream prophesies disappointment and undeserved neglect. This dream can also be a warning: care should be taken regarding health and nutrition. Big universal dream book

The meaning of sleep Nightmare If you have a severe nightmare that you cannot remember without a shudder, this is a sign that you are under the influence of a stupid and careless person who can ruin your life if you do not protect yourself. Old English dream book

Dream Nightmare Nightmares should be taken as a positive experience. They allow us to work with unresolved real-life problems that we are trying to keep out of consciousness. These problems harm us at all levels of life, including health and relationships. Nightmares are a way of solving problems. Enjoy nightmares! Imagine that you are returning to a nightmare, and play it through your imagination several times. Change the plot of the dream so that the outcome is in your favor. This will help heal those areas of your soul that have become the source of the nightmare. Dream Interpretation Lynn

Dreaming Nightmare Nightmares: they convey a lot of useful information, and we should be grateful to them for the messages they bring to us. They allow us to deal with those unresolved problems that we used to turn away from while awake and try to keep out of consciousness. These unresolved issues affect every aspect of our lives, including our health and relationships. If you have a recurring nightmare, try to remember it during the day, return to the nightmare, playing it in your imagination several times, and find out all the information that it carries. Try to change its outcome and some details. This will help you heal the areas of your soul that are causing this nightmare and its return. Dream Interpretation Dream Interpretation Denise Lynn

During sleep, the body should receive proper rest. But sometimes the whole night is haunted by nightmares, from which a person wakes up in a sticky sweat. The next day he feels overwhelmed and tired. Why do many people have nightmares, why sometimes a child cannot sleep?

Causes

Nightmares dream of both adults and children, especially younger ones. Their plots can be very diverse, but usually the sleeper experiences a feeling of anxiety, fear and hopelessness. Scientists believe that terrible dreams arise as a result of brain activity, and their causes may be as follows.

A nightmare can be a dream after a holiday party, when a person experiences discomfort and pain due to an overloaded stomach. Alcohol can also be the cause.
Stuffiness in the house, an uncomfortable bed, bright lights or loud music, physical overwork - all these factors can become a source of nightmares.
Terrible dreams can be provoked by strong nervous tension caused by a personal tragedy, an extreme situation.
Smoking also affects dreams. The human nervous system is very finely structured, and such a substance as nicotine, which in its essence is a poisonous stimulant, destroys the nervous system. And the quality of sleep directly depends on the state of our nervous system.
High temperature during a cold is also the cause of such a dream.
Some professions are associated with the need to deal with blood, death, violent scenes that can cause nightmares. For example, doctors and soldiers suffer from this.
Representatives have a rich imagination, for them nightmarish visions at night are not uncommon.
A nightmare may be evidence of some problem that needs to be solved, but a person is not yet able to make a choice.
A bad dream can haunt if some kind of resentment or trauma was inflicted in childhood. It seems to a person that she has long been forgotten, but on a subconscious level she worries him.
Scientists have proven that electromagnetic pulses from numerous household appliances can have a negative effect on the brain of a sleeping person and provoke terrible dreams.

Babies are vulnerable and impressionable, so nightmares are a common occurrence in childhood. Terrible dreams can be a manifestation of stress received due to:

family scandal;
punishment for misconduct;
random fright;
frequent viewing of horror films.

What to do if you have nightmares every day

To get rid of regular nightmares, it is necessary to eliminate those factors that interfere with restful sound sleep:

do not eat heavy food at night, but be content with a light dinner 3 hours before bedtime;
in the evening before going to bed, a quiet walk in the fresh air is useful - it should become a daily habit, a necessity;
a pleasant relaxing bath before going to bed will provide a good rest;
if you smoke, then try not to smoke at least a couple of hours before bedtime, but it is better to completely abandon this harmful activity. In the 21st century, there are quick and highly effective ways to quit smoking. Learn more about it;
a cup of herbal tea will calm the nervous system;
soothes and good music;
from the bedroom you need to remove all objects that irritate or distract attention;
before going to bed, you should regularly air the bedroom;
for a good sleep, silence is an important condition, so you need to turn off the TV;
you need to stop watching scary movies: even if you like them, fear and a sense of danger are still deposited in the brain.

What to do if a comfortable environment for sleep has been created, but it still remains disturbing? Why do I have nightmares every night, despite the creation of favorable conditions for rest? In this case, it is worth checking your health.

Nightmares can warn of a serious illness that does not yet give obvious symptoms. A recurring dream sometimes even tells you exactly where the pathology develops. It is necessary to be examined to find out the presence or absence of a problem and methods of treatment.

It happens that frequent nightmares can be a manifestation of the side effects of drugs or bad habits. You need to get rid of them, change drugs or stop taking them.

What does all this mean?

Dreams have always been a mystery. Until now, psychoanalysts, starting with Freud, put forward various hypotheses explaining their mechanism. Many of them believe that nightmares contribute to the regulation of internal conflicts of consciousness. However, their mechanism is not fully understood. Modern researchers distinguish two types of dreams that occur at different stages of rest.

The first type is characterized by the saturation of the plot, such a dream begins to occur a few hours after a person falls asleep. When he wakes up, he immediately realizes that he saw an illusion.
Another type of dreams develops in the first hour or two and is characterized by involuntary cries, human movements. After a sudden awakening, he does not immediately understand where he is.

In any case, dreams have some kind of secret meaning, which a person cannot yet unravel. Nightmares warn of some upcoming events, the barely noticeable signs of which are not seen by consciousness, but are noted by the subconscious of a person.

Get rid of obsessive dreams

Some techniques allow you to completely get rid of terrible dreams. If a person often sees nightmares, he needs to try to reprogram his mind and predict the successful ending of the vision.

Nightmare often accompanies critical periods of life, which are associated with certain obstacles. You can try to analyze the stages of your activity to find out why you have bad dreams:

on a separate piece of paper you need to write out all the problems that cause anxiety;
it is necessary to analyze them and outline possible solutions;
one must assure oneself that there are no problems that do not have a solution;
then you need to burn the leaflet and begin specific actions to eliminate the indicated problem.

You don't have to be afraid to take action. Fear will pass as it arises from uncertainty. Once the problem is solved, the nightmares will disappear.

Psychologists advise writing down dreams, of course, if they are remembered. Then you need to carefully analyze all the details and images. You need to share what you see with as many people as possible. A dream spoken out loud will cease to frighten, and someone close to you may notice a detail that will help clarify the problem.

Drawing gives good results. Creative people can easily depict on paper the plot and details of the dream. The drawing process itself also has a calming effect on the psyche.

Regular exercise is a great way to bring your emotional state into balance and get rid of bad dreams.

Often nightmares are beneficial, as they contribute to emotional unloading, the release of negative feelings after severe stress. But if dreams do not stop and do not lead to balance, you need to contact a specialist.

If a child has nightmares, parents should keep a diary and keep track of their frequency and possible connection with external events. It should be explained to the baby that he will definitely defeat all the enemies in his nightmare, that mom and dad will definitely protect him. It is important to create an atmosphere of safety for him at home.

Whatever the nightmare, it is not a real event and should not complicate a person's life. And if a dream reveals problems that have not yet been resolved, you just need to eliminate them in time. And then the nightmares will be replaced by pleasant color visions.

Probably, each of us at least occasionally woke up from a terrible dream in horror and “cold sweat”. And it happens that nightmarish or very difficult dreams come to a person all the time. Of course, if such things interfere with your life in the literal sense, you need to seek help from a specialist, but if they bother you infrequently, but still somehow alarming, then you can take care of this yourself.

Experts distinguish two types of unfavorable dreams: night terrors and nightmares.

They occur during the deepest phase of sleep, when it is very difficult to wake a person, and sometimes it is simply impossible. As a rule, this is a very short and fast dream. Most often, such fears occur in children. Since this kind of sleep is predominant at the beginning of the night, fears usually arise during the first hour of sleep.

Often they are accompanied by a heartbreaking cry and violent vegetative reactions of the body - the eyes open wide, the heart jumps out of the chest, trembles, the person is covered with sweat, in a word, is in a panic state. Episodes can last from one to several minutes. After some time, the person falls asleep again and usually does not remember anything the next morning.

Night terrors are provoked by strong emotional upheavals, impressions or violent experiences, and there is nothing pathological in them. But if they begin to haunt you more and more often, then this is probably a sign of severe stress, anxiety or aggression, and they should be taken very seriously.

Arise in the phase of sleep with rapid movements of the eyeballs, then the person wakes up and remembers the content of the dream. Regardless of the absurdity of the plot and the absurdity of the situation, such dreams are always very dynamic and frightening. Although such dreams can be downright creepy, they are usually not accompanied by significant physiological reactions in the form of increased sweating, increased heart rate and breathing. The cause of nightmares is also tension, excitement and nervous shocks.

Why do we have scary dreams?

There are several sources of "bad" dreams, both purely "technical" and very serious psychological ones.

1. The “culprit” of a nightmare can be an ordinary physical stimulus. For example, a loud sound (something in your apartment may fall, burst), noise outside the window, a sudden push of your neighbor in bed, or an unexpected ringing of a mobile phone. If you immediately wake up from a short but sharp impact, then most likely you will immediately guess what the matter is, and you can continue to sleep peacefully. But when the stimulus interferes with you, but cannot wake you up, then in the morning you will wake up with an unpleasant feeling of a “bad dream”, which may not leave you alone for a long time.

2. Often, a nascent disease or physical illness can serve as a source of fear. Let's say you dream that your head is cut off and you wake up with a painful migraine. Or in a dream you are on fire, and when you wake up, you find a high temperature. It happens that periodically in a dream the same situation comes up, for example, you see a sword stuck in your stomach, which means the development of a chronic disease, for example, gastritis.

3. It happens that a nightmare acts as an amplifier of real fears and works as a self-preservation instinct so that a person can be afraid and avoid threatening situations in real life. These dreams seem to be warning. For example, nightmares of falling increase and maintain the fear of heights at the required level.

4. Most often, our latent phobias, conflicts, aggression, a very strong fear of something appear in nightmares. If the subconscious constantly “feeds” on thoughts of some kind of fear or a terrible situation, then in a dream it gives way to this impulse, and we finally see this terrible picture. For example, you are numb in front of big dogs and are always afraid of meeting them, and then the night comes, and a huge dog rushes at you and bites. So yours has satisfied the constantly requested plot.

How to get rid of them?

Of course, it is impossible to get rid of terrible dreams once and for all, since we will never know all the ways and secrets of our work. But you can prevent them if you analyze the fear and properly organize the conditions for your sleep.

1. Deal with your fear in reality. For example, you are afraid of heights, or fire, or large wild animals, and such pictures come to you in dreams. Try to realize and think about this fear: how strong and dangerous it is, how likely it is in real events, how it will be easier for you to live without it. When you treat him rationally in life, then the work of dreaming will no longer be of any use, and the nightly disturbances will cease.

2. Analyze your nightmare- why, after which or before what he dreamed about you. Maybe there is a systematic relationship between some events and night visions. For example, you see something terrible before an exam or an annual report at work, or you are afraid of your mother-in-law, and after meeting with her, she comes to you. If you find such a connection, before going to bed, try to think about the situation, assume both bad and good outcomes, calm down and fall asleep. Again, there is no work left for the unconscious.

3. Avoid environmental stimuli before bed: Do not watch horror movies and action-packed programs, do not play computer games with murder and monsters, put aside unpleasant conversations and traumatic memories, do not read scary books.

4. Follow a certain ritual before going to bed: for example, drink tea, take a bath, brush your teeth, look through a magazine and go to bed - get into a rhythm, familiar, calm, safe, and fall asleep with it.

5. If fears haunt you constantly, do not create absolute darkness in the room. It is better that all objects are clearly visible and it does not seem to you that there is something threatening in the room.

6. Take care of your sleep hygiene. Ventilate the room before going to bed, close the windows if there is a noisy street or neighbors behind them, turn off the TV, computer and your mobile. Choose a comfortable mattress, blanket and choose the best bed position.

7. If you often feel nervous at work or because of personal problems, constantly thinking about some problem or bad event, take a sedative or regular valerian at night.

Dreams are one of the most unknown and mysterious areas of the human psyche. By the way, bad dreams are divided into nightmares and night dreams. What is the difference between these concepts, what scary dreams dream about - you will learn from this article.

To begin with, we suggest that you understand the difference between night terrors and nightmares. Nightmares occur in the REM phase and represent a very complex plot, it can be a whole "movie". Waking up, a person remembers very little, but feelings of depression, fear and horror remain. It is during nightmares that a person wakes up in a cold sweat with screams and a rapid heartbeat. In this state, adrenaline is released. Night terror is a dream that occurs in the deep phase of sleep, about two hours after falling asleep - in the first half of the night. Such a dream takes about two minutes, has a short duration and a simple plot, but, nevertheless, can scare a sleeping person very much. To the question of why terrible dreams occur, scientists have not yet found a definitive answer. But it is already known that people have terrible dreams during a psychological crisis. The main cause of nightmares and night terrors is considered to be overwork and depression. The most susceptible to such dreams are people with great psychological and nervous stress. Sometimes people can be haunted by the same nightmare for years. By the way, it has been proven that often the cause of nightmares is the side effects of medications. Also, bad dreams can occur due to spicy or fatty foods, overeating, information received during the day, alcohol and illness.

What to do when you have bad dreams?

If you are prone to nightmares, then this is an occasion to think about what you need to see a specialist. The psychologist will help to understand the reason for such dreams.

You can get rid of terrible dreams on your own, folk methods.

Try to cope with what is happening in a dream or get rid of your opponent. Learn to control your dreams.
When you wake up, do not immediately look out the window and in the mirror. Say the following phrase: "Where the night is, the dream has gone there."
Tell others about your bad dream, in this way you "exchange" it.
Try to "work out" a bad dream - for this you need to partially translate it into reality, repeat some points in reality.

All these remedies can only reduce the effect of frightening dreams, but will not be able to prevent them.