The REM sleep stage is the most active stage of sleep, and it’s also the stage during which we dream. Dreaming is essential for memory consolidation and cognitive rejuvenation. Nightmares are vivid, realistic and disturbing dreams typically involving threats to survival or security, which often evoke emotions of anxiety, fear or terror. If you have frequent nightmares that cause distress or impairment at work or among people, you might have nightmare disorder. Treatments include medications and behavioral therapies. Addressing frequent nightmares is important since they can also cause insomnia, depression and suicidal behavior. Since nightmares can also cause sleep deprivation, they are linked to heart disease and obesity as well. Trying out these 10 steps could help you ease your nightmares and improve your sleep and quality of life. 1. Establish a sleep routine Create a nighttime routine to improve the quality of your sleep and reduce nightmares. 2. Cut back on alcohol Alcoholic beverages can induce restlessness and awakenings throughout the night — potentially helping you remember nightmares, Martin said. 3. Don’t eat before bed Avoid snacking before bed to prevent spiking your metabolism and activating your brain. 4. Review your medications Some medications can prompt nightmares by interrupting REM sleep. 5. Practice stress-relieving activities Calming activities can deactivate your fight-or-flight response and trigger your relaxation system. 6. Journal your worries Journaling can help you release your anxieties. 7. Don’t watch or read scary content before bed Images from any exciting or disturbing content you watched before bed can appear in your dreams. 8. Rewrite the ending Imagery rehearsal therapy is effective “when the chronic nightmares are showing similar themes and patterns,” Tal said. 9. Use a white noise machine Silence is key in a sleep routine, but “for people who either don’t like it to be completely quiet or who are awakened by noises they can’t control during the night,” background noise “is a good strategy,” Martin said. Yogasleep Dohm Elite Natural White Noise Sound Machine Yogasleep How to find the right white you ( Underscored) 10. Check up… More: — We leave behind our fears under the bed as we say goodbye to our childhoods, but one can follow us into adulthood and loom over our heads. Nightmares are more common in childhood, yet anywhere from 50 percent 85 percentof adults report having occasional nightmare_img/#!&*(?Alternative Title: *Nightly News with Lester Holcy; Sleep Disorder In Adults And Night Time Napping For Children And Teenagers ###Sign Up For Our Newsletters Signup now so I won’r miss anything interesting coming straight To Your Email Box Every Morning With A
Nightmares are a common occurrence, but they can be prevented. Here’s how. By Yvonne Marzouk
