Why do you have nightmares? Getting rid of scary dreams in adults and children

Every year a healthy lifestyle becomes more and more popular. In social networks, the media and even in a friendly company over a cup of tea, the topic of healthy eating, regular physical activity and its importance for our physical and psychological health is increasingly being raised. We put a lot of emphasis on nutrition and exercise, but we forget another important criterion for a healthy lifestyle - proper rest and sleep.

Irregular work schedule, constant information, sound and light noise of big cities, chronic sedentary lifestyle, taking stimulants and invigorating drugs - all this can lead to various sleep disorders. Our body is prevented from fully resting at night and recuperating due to difficulty falling asleep and frequent awakenings at night, bad dreams, episodes of sleep apnea (disturbances or lack of breathing during sleep), snoring, early morning awakening and some other types of insomnia (sleep disorders).

Most people who seek advice from specialists complain of poor sleep due to nightmares. Dream scenarios may be different, but the result is the same: a person wakes up in the middle of the night with a feeling of horror, in pajamas wet from cold sweat, disoriented in space and time. After such an awakening, he is afraid or cannot fall asleep, which is why in the morning and throughout the day he feels depressed, exhausted, and has a constant feeling of hunger and emotional dissatisfaction.

A scary dream can happen at any age. Most often, nightmares are experienced by people with a labile psyche, emotional adults and children. The child's psyche is formed before the age of 15. The child learns about the world, regularly encounters new impressions and people, which is naturally reflected in his dreams.

In this article we will tell you why you have nightmares, how they can be dangerous to health, what their nature is, whether a person can cope with them on their own, and at what point you should contact a specialist.

Content:

What are nightmares? What is the nature of nightmares?
Features of types and themes of nightmares in children, adolescents and adults
What harm can bad sleep cause to a person?

What does the body warn us about when we have nightmares?

How to completely get rid of scary dreams or reduce their frequency?

Helping a child: features and nuances

Poor sleep in adults. What to do?

When is it time to see a doctor?

What to do if you had a bad dream?

The influence of nightmares on the human psyche

“For a good sleep without nightmares”: advice from psychologists

What are nightmares?

Nightmare... The definition of this concept is hidden in the decoding of the word “nightmare” itself. It is of French origin and consists of two parts: caucher, which means “to crush” or “oppress”, and mare - “night ghost”. These are long, complex dreams containing elements of anxiety and fear that become more and more frightening towards the end. After awakening, a person quickly comes to a clear consciousness, but an anxious state persists for some time.

In addition to psychological discomfort, a person notes symptoms associated with activation of the sympathetic nervous system:

frequent, intermittent breathing;
rapid pulse and increased heart contractions;
pupils dilate, night vision improves;
dry mouth appears, saliva becomes viscous and thick;
sweating increases.

Activation of the sympathetic nervous system is also called the “fight or flight” state. It is very difficult for a person to fall asleep again after waking up with such an attitude from the body.

Night terrors occur in 4.4% of the world's population. Although real nightmares are more common among children, every second adult also experiences nightmares from time to time (nightmares affect between 2% and 8% of the adult population). They occur during the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phase, which lasts 10–20 minutes. The closer it gets to morning, the longer this phase becomes. Therefore, nightmares most often occur in the early morning hours.

What is the nature of nightmares?

From a physiological point of view, the causes of nightmares in adults and children are different. During intrauterine development, the nervous system and brain are not fully formed. This process lasts up to 15 years and is associated with the child’s growing up, learning, and puberty.

Nightmares in children are associated with immaturity of the reticular ascending activating system. This anatomical region is located in the medulla oblongata and is responsible for the regulation of ri.

Provoking factors for the occurrence of nightmares in children are:

strict attitude towards the child on the part of the parents;
problematic communication with peers in kindergarten or school, bullying;
heavy loads at school or in the sports section;
serious illness/death of a loved one or beloved pet;
watching scary movies or reading horror stories before bed;
change of place of residence, even moving within the same area to a new home;
dysfunctional family;
physical punishment from adults;
heat;
parasitic diseases;
endocrine diseases, hormonal changes during puberty.

Adults have scary dreams much less often than children. Nightmares in adults can be triggered by:

chronic stress and problems at work;
diseases of the nervous system;
insomnia and sleep disturbances. Some people experience a vicious circle: nightmare - fear of falling asleep - insomnia - mental exhaustion - nightmare;
concussion and other traumatic brain injuries;
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), formerly called “shell shock”;
childhood psychotrauma;
use of psychoactive substances (energy drinks, nicotine, drugs, alcohol);
withdrawal syndrome, better known by the popular name “delirium tremens”;
depression and constant anxiety;
lack of normal rest, heavy physical activity;
unbalanced diet, overeating before bed;
diseases of the nervous, respiratory and cardiovascular systems;
side effects of certain medications (antidepressants, neurotransmitters, beta-blockers, levodopa drugs) or drug withdrawal syndrome;
restless legs syndrome;
environmental conditions that are uncomfortable for sleep (lack of oxygen supply, dry air, high temperature and excessive illumination of the room, uncomfortable bed).

Nightmares are significantly more common in women than in men. This phenomenon is associated with greater emotionality of the weaker sex and monthly hormonal fluctuations.

Somnologists (doctors who study the processes of sleep and wakefulness) identify a number of professions whose representatives may suffer from nightmares:

doctors, nurses, paramedics and other people working in medicine;
military;
rescuers and firefighters;
people with shift work schedules and night shifts;
representatives of creative professions because of their rich imagination.

Features of types and themes of nightmares in children, adolescents and adults

What harm can bad sleep cause to a person?

Most living organisms exist according to circadian rhythms: sleep - wakefulness, flights to warm regions, hibernation - summer activity, nutrition - hunger, and others. Scientists have found that animals also need sleep, just like people. Even jellyfish and fish alternate between periods of wakefulness and rest, when the animal is in a state very similar to human sleep.

During sleep, recovery processes occur in the body:

cell division;
The secretion of growth hormone increases (about 80% of growth hormone is produced during sleep), as a result - the body grows;
Nerve cells remove waste products 60% faster, which can have a toxic effect on neurons;
redistribution of connections between nerve cells.

During sleep, the human brain actively works. It analyzes the information received during the day, erases the unnecessary and leaves that which may be useful in the future. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems begin to work in “economy mode”: breathing becomes deeper and rarer, blood pressure decreases by 10–20%, and the pulse quickens. The endocrine system, on the contrary, is activated. During sleep, the level of insulin, thyroid hormones, adrenal glands and sex glands stabilizes in the blood.

Somnologist Yuri Pogoretsky explained what a lack of normal sleep can lead to:

lethargy and chronic fatigue;
decreased concentration;
drowsiness, falling asleep while driving;
depression, apathy and other mental disorders;
uncontrolled hypertension (increased blood pressure to high levels), which is difficult to treat with medication;
decreased sensitivity of cells to insulin, development of glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus;
metabolic syndrome, obesity, inability to lose weight with minimal caloric intake and intense physical activity;
decreased performance. American employers estimate that they lose about $100 billion a year due to their employees' sleepiness.

Somnologist, candidate of medical sciences, associate professor of the First Moscow State Medical University named after. I.M. Sechenov Mikhail Poluektov in an interview with the Postnauka channel said that poor sleep in middle-aged people increases the risk of developing arterial hypertension by 1.6 times and contributes to a decrease in immunity. Not getting enough sleep for several days significantly increases the likelihood of colds, which has been proven in clinical studies.

Causes of nightmares by age

At different ages, the same dreams carry different meanings. The older you get, the more often a person wonders why they have nightmares. And this is correct, because in childhood bad dreams are driven by emotions, in adolescence - by the formation of hormonal levels, and only in adulthood does the ability to rationally approach deciphering night visions appear.

Bad dreams in a child

Children's nightmares are associated with strong impressions and fears that the child causes in himself or with the help of other children. A good fantasy encourages you to come up with various scary stories or give special meaning to ordinary natural phenomena.

In addition, nightmares in children are associated with stress. The reasons for it are different:

Transfer to another school;
Frequent quarrels between parents;
Preparing to visit the doctor.

The task of parents in such situations is to try to calm the baby as much as possible, give him a positive attitude and maintain a calm emotional environment in the family.

The third reason for terrible night visions is an illness accompanied by an increase in temperature and taking medications.

Bad dreams in a teenager

Adolescence is a difficult time for every person and his loved ones, since during this period it becomes difficult to keep one’s emotions under control, and cases of quarrels with relatives and peers become more frequent. The situation is complicated by the fact that it is during puberty, when a teenager is trying to understand himself, that he has to make a serious choice of his future profession. Lack of sufficient psychological maturity leads to wrong decisions, fears that the wrong choice will negatively affect the rest of your life.

Bad dreams among teenagers reflect all their fears, worries, and are also a consequence of ongoing emotional stress. The best thing parents can do is to make it clear to the child that they will accept any of his decisions and will support him in all his endeavors. If you begin to have nightmares in the year of passing exams, urgent emotional relief is needed - a weekend spent not studying textbooks, but with friends outdoors in active games or in the family circle will have a positive effect on the changing body and will help cope with fears.

Bad dreams in adults

Adults treat nightmares differently. Rational thinking allows you to quickly determine the cause of bad dreams, be it watching horror movies at night or a lot of stress in your life.

Nightmares are most severe during pregnancy. This is the time when a woman is most susceptible to external negative influences, supported by changes in hormonal levels and a large number of fears, such as difficult childbirth, the birth of a sick child, and the possibility of miscarriage. Unfortunately, not many people understand that expectant mothers need support more than ever and do not pay attention to the condition of the pregnant woman.

If daily nightmares appear and threaten the health of the mother and her child, you should seek help from a psychologist and drink light sedative herbal decoctions before bed.

What does the body warn us about when we have nightmares?

If scary dreams are not associated with the influence of negative environmental factors on the body, then you should carefully consider their content. The human psyche thus sends signals about complexes, problems and real fears.

Dream involving a dead person

Such a dream indicates that a person does not perceive reality, lives in the past or future and is not in the moment. A person should let go of events that can no longer be changed, and stop calculating every next step to the smallest detail.

Disaster dreams

The apocalypse is seen in a dream by people who spend a lot of energy on unnecessary worries and are in a constant feeling of anxiety. They are in a state of increased mobilization of strength, are afraid to show their weakness and cannot ask for help from other people.

Limited mobility, sleep paralysis

A nightmare in which you cannot move your arm, leg, or scream may indicate that the person is passively experiencing an aggressive situation. In real life, danger awaits him and he should not let his guard down.

Falling from a height, flying into the abyss

Terrible dreams associated with free flight and the threat of crashing should suggest that in real life there is a feeling of abandonment. A person on a subconscious level feels unnecessary and is often afraid to admit it to himself.

Prevention

There are no special measures to prevent nightmares. However, research shows that healthy, positive people rarely complain of any sleep problems. Doctors recommend a set of simple measures to prevent the occurrence of scary dreams:

Compliance with the rituals of preparing for bed and preparing a comfortable place to rest;
Maintaining normal physical activity throughout the day;
Engaging in any hobby that requires increased concentration - drawing, assembling puzzles, knitting, etc.;
The use of practices that allow you to find harmony with yourself, for example, yoga, simple or breathing exercises.

We must not forget that nightmares are the result of the activity of the subconscious. All visions that take place at night will not occur in reality. After waking up, you need to calm down and rationally approach the analysis of a bad dream. This approach will allow you to give up further worries about this and will be an excellent prevention of the occurrence of new disturbing dreams.

How to completely get rid of scary dreams or reduce their frequency?

This question is often asked at appointments with a somnologist, psychologist and pediatrician. Nightmares are a manifestation of problems in the somatic and neuropsychic spheres. For each cause and age, the process of getting rid of nightmares or reducing their frequency has its own specific characteristics.

Helping a child: features and nuances

Following a daily routine plays a very important role in a child’s life . Nightmares can disturb a baby due to a violation of the diet, non-compliance with the time of going to bed and waking up. Parents can influence these unfavorable factors and help their child get rid of nightmares. Introduce the following rules in your family:

Two hours before bedtime, do not watch TV, do not use phones or computers.
Go to bed (preferably before 22:00) and wake up at the same time.
Before going to bed, ventilate the room and ensure a constant supply of fresh air.
Let the child go to bed with his favorite toy.
Spend more time outdoors.
Provide the child with adequate physical activity (without excessive fatigue).
Regularly ask your child about how communication is going in kindergarten or school and whether he has any conflicts with peers.
Do not start quarrels in front of the child, avoid any conflict situations.
Discuss a bad dream! It is important to explain to the child that all the events of the dream happen in make-believe, but in no case do not diminish the importance of this terrible event for him.
Be sure to hug your child and reassure him if he has a bad dream.
Buy a night light for your children's room. Dimmed light will relieve the fear of the dark and will not interfere with sleep.

An interesting practice helps children get rid of a bad dream: draw a night horror movie on a piece of paper, and then tear it into small pieces. As the child grows older, nightmares become less frequent night guests, and by the age of 15–18 they may disappear completely without any treatment.

Poor sleep in adults. What to do?

The most effective way is to get rid of the reasons that cause nightmares: work through the psychological aspects, consult with your doctor about the medications you regularly take, monitor your physical health, get timely examinations and treat somatic diseases.

Some tips to help cope with bad dreams:

The first thing you need to do is remove the source of stress: change your social circle, get rid of toxic people, find yourself a new hobby, quit a shift work schedule or change your type of work.
Set up nutrition. Eat food five times a day in small portions, do not eat meat, sweets, fatty and salty foods 1.5-2 hours before bedtime.
Do not go to bed on an empty stomach; 30–60 minutes before bedtime, you can drink 100 ml of kefir or fermented baked milk. Hungry sleep is always disturbing, associated with frequent awakenings and may be accompanied by nightmares.
1.5 hours before bedtime, do not use gadgets. Brightly lit screens interfere with the production of melatonin (a substance that is responsible for normal sleep).
Take a warm shower or bath 30–60 minutes before bed. Water treatments will help relax the nervous system.
Don't watch scary movies or read books with scary plots.
Exercise regularly (at least three hours of cardio per week).
Get rid of bad habits (coffee abuse, smoking, drinking alcohol, using psychoactive substances).
Keep a “Nightmare Diary” in which you will record bad dreams. Then conduct a thorough analysis of dreams, develop the plot to a positive outcome.
Feel free to discuss the problem of nightmares with your loved ones. Together you can always find a better solution or develop a happy ending to a dream.
Do yoga, stretching or Pilates. Calm types of physical activity promote calmness and make a person more confident in their abilities.

When is it time to see a doctor?

If nightmares occur rarely and do not cause severe psychological and physical discomfort, then you can try to cope with them yourself. People with severe nightmares (bad dreams haunt every night for more than one month) and with complications of nightmares in the form of “nightmare distress” need the help of specialists. It manifests itself with the following symptoms:

there is a fear of falling asleep;
anticipation of a bad night and strong feelings associated with this fact, leading to insomnia;
intrusive memories of a nightmare that do not go away during the day;
development of a depressive state;
decreased concentration, occurrence of life-threatening situations;
disruption of the cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems.

You should definitely consult a doctor if nightmares appear after a tragedy: a car or plane crash, psychological or physical violence!

Causes

The causes of nightmares should be sought if they torment a person every night, disrupting peaceful sleep and rest. A number of them are associated with an incorrect lifestyle, while others can warn of the development of serious diseases - the etiology of scary dreams must be clarified.

Preschool age

The child has nightmares due to the fact that he has a high sensitivity threshold. Bad dreams can be triggered by vivid negative impressions, a complete absence of friends, insults from peers, and strong quarrels between parents.

In dysfunctional families, where deception and physical punishment are considered the norm, children constantly have nightmares. The same can be said about children in orphanages.

The only thing parents need to do is to provide their child with a stable, supportive environment in the family, be attentive to his fears and pay attention to how the child communicates with his peers. Very soon, terrible dreams will stop appearing to him at night, and with the development of the nervous system, the syndrome will completely disappear.

Overwork

It occurs in both children and adults.
It often appears in children aged 2-4 years, when at times the need to go to bed during the day disappears. As a result, the child becomes very tired in the evening, which manifests itself in dreams. Overwork in adults is mainly associated with daytime experiences and unresolved issues that a person subconsciously tries to sort out during rest. The same thing happens when it comes to severe fatigue associated with a change of environment, for example, when moving.

Depression and stress

A large number of stressful situations during the daytime is a common cause of nightmares. This is a professional syndrome of firefighters, doctors, law enforcement or rescue services.

But other reasons for developing depression can cause scary dreams. Any person, being in a state of strong emotional experiences, loses peace day and night, because he unconsciously tries to find a way out of the current situation. This situation gives rise to emotional overstrain that turns into nightmares.

A psychotherapist will help you sort out your problems and restore calm to your life by protecting yourself from sources of constant stress. Without special treatment, bad dreams will return every night.

Various diseases

Diseases of the internal organs cause nightmares, whether a person knows about them or not. As a rule, they are accompanied by additional symptoms such as:

Headache;
Neurosis;
Increased body temperature;
Severe hypoxia.

If you continue to feel unwell for several days, and you begin to have nightmares, you should consult your doctor and undergo a full preventive examination.

Binge eating

Endocrinologists, therapists, somnologists, nutritionists and even trainers in the gym say that it is not recommended to eat 3-4 hours before bedtime, so as not to disturb your rest.
However, only a few people know that overeating before bed can cause nightmares. Overstimulation of the body, which is trying to digest the food received, leads to psychological disorders. The situation becomes aggravated if the late dinner contained a large amount of sweet, fatty or spicy foods. Speeding up your metabolism at night will lead to insomnia for a couple of hours at best, and debilitating nightmares at worst.

Rest in unsuitable conditions

Going to bed should be accompanied by certain rituals, including the preparation of comfortable conditions. Bright light, loud music, stale air, foreign odors, etc. can disrupt the process of falling asleep. In normal situations, such inconveniences lead to sleep disturbances and sometimes even frequent nightmares.

Ancient teachings claim that bad dreams are caused by negative energy. They explain night visions by the incorrect position of the bed, the poor furnishings of the room, or the negative aura of the sleeping place itself. In some cases, furnishing a room according to Feng Shui or any other teaching helps to achieve a restful sleep. However, scientists have not yet been able to give a scientific explanation for this phenomenon and are inclined to believe that self-hypnosis is to blame.

Where to sleep with your head correctly

Creative person

People who are creative are more likely to have scary dreams than others. This is due to the fact that they have a high threshold of sensitivity; they experience all negative events in life more intensely.

It is creative individuals who see prophetic dreams and predict bad events, which then come true.

Having bad habits

This includes not only smoking, alcohol abuse and drug use, but also addiction to caffeine-based tonic drinks, long-term use of medications and other negative factors that destroy the body from the inside. All this keeps the nervous system in a state of excitement and does not allow you to relax at night. This is the simplest explanation for why nightmares occur after heavy drinking.

Scary dreams are experienced by young mothers who keep themselves alert with a fair amount of caffeine and at the same time are constantly under stress. If such a symptom begins to appear, the body gives a signal that it is time to stop and reconsider your lifestyle, to find harmony with yourself.

Another personality

Psychologists know that every person has good and bad sides. What others see is the result of a daily struggle with oneself. By nature, one of the sides is expressed more strongly than the other, and if a person has to fight with it, it turns into nightmares.

What to do if you had a bad dream?

If the reason for an unplanned awakening in the middle of the night is poor sleep, then do not rush to fall asleep again. Your psyche and sympathetic nervous system are in an active state, they simply will not let you sleep.

Turn on a night light or bedside lamp. Chamomile or mint tea will help you calm down. Realize that it was just a dream - a figment of your imagination created by your brain. You have the right to change the plot of the dream and come up with a happy ending. Get rid of the unpleasant moments that were in the dream, replace them with bright and positive events.

A child’s nightmare manifests itself with more violent emotions: screaming, crying, abruptly getting out of bed. The next morning, children may not remember their sleep, but at the moment of awakening it is very important that the parents are nearby and hug the child and calm him down. This gives a feeling of security, helps the child relax and fall asleep again.

Clinical picture

Physiological mobility - flinching. It is characterized by muscle tremors, and the sleeper may cry out.
Teeth grinding – bruxism. In this case, breathing often changes, heartbeat appears, and blood pressure increases.
Sudden excitement and anxiety, mental agitation, fears at night.
Unconscious urination – in other words, enuresis.
Disorders in the functioning of the nervous system, which are manifested by intermittent breathing.

What to do? To prevent restless sleep all the time, start small - follow simple norms and rules.

The influence of nightmares on the human psyche

Since ancient times, people have been looking for secret meaning in dreams. There are many interpretations of dreams that are displayed in dream books. Very often they are contradictory, which is why a person begins to worry and places a strong emphasis on bad dreams.

Experts advise getting rid of nightmares when they are often repeated, disrupt the usual way of life, lead to a deterioration in general well-being and physical health, and also change the human psyche:

cause increased anxiety, keep a person in constant fear;
lead to worsening mood, depression, apathy or aggression;
can become a trigger for severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia.

“For a good sleep without nightmares”: advice from psychologists

It is not always possible to cope with bad dreams on your own, especially if they are constantly repeated and too realistic.

Psychologists advise asking for support from loved ones whom you can trust with one hundred percent confidence. Tell them about the problem, it will be easier to find a solution together.
Avoid stressful situations. To relieve anxiety, take sedatives of herbal origin: valerian, motherwort. They have a mild effect and are not addictive.
Practice meditations and affirmations. They will help reduce anxiety, tune in to positive thoughts and program yourself for good sleep.

Living with regular nightmares can become a matter of existing and surviving. The causes of scary dreams and their plots are purely individual, as are the methods of their prevention and treatment. Rarely recurring nightmares do not require therapy and do not pose a threat to health.

Frequent bad dreams will need to be dealt with, and specialists and people around you will need to be involved in the problem. Take care of your psyche and the psyche of your children!

Child's age	Characteristics of scary dreams
2–5 years	Dreams contain scary animals or monsters. They may chase the child, try to steal him or eat him.
5-6 years	Frightening dreams are situational in nature. They are dominated by action: fights, chases, wrestling.
7–9 years	In dreams there are many specific images that become more diverse. The perception of sleep is more visual.
9–12 years	Children of this age see one image in their dreams. It is perceived sensually and emotionally. It is possible to increase the size, shape, and change the type of movement of the frightening object.
12–15 years	Most often, terrible dreams of adolescence are associated with unpleasant situations that occur in society. The child may see himself in funny clothes or naked in front of a crowd of peers.