Hello Psychotherapy for You readers! How are you sleeping? Today, I’d like to talk about nightmares and how they impact our well-being.
Why do we dream?
Nobody knows for sure why we dream, but here are just some of the common theories about the function of dreaming:
● Dreams help us to process and regulate emotions
● Dreaming helps us to move memories from short-term into long-term storage
● Dreaming supports the reorganization of our brain’s circuitry. During this process, our brain sorts the information we take in during the day and organize where it is stored
● Dreams promote creativity and our ability to solve problems
● Dreams promote self-reflection and insight
● Dreams allow us to practice with various experiences mentally by presenting us with simulations of threats or other new situations we may be worried about
Why do we have nightmares?
Just like the function of dreams, we don’t know for certain why we have nightmares; however, it is commonly believed that nightmares:
● Allow us to practice being exposed to threats, which promotes problem-solving and creativity
● Arise when we are feeling negative emotions or are under stress
● May be the brain’s way of trying to prepare us for and protect us from some potential danger
How common are nightmares?
About 85% of the adult population has at least one nightmare per year, and about 5% of the population qualifies for a diagnosis of nightmare disorder. For most of us, nightmares happen during Rapid Eye-Movement (REM) sleep, which occurs in the later half of the night. For individuals who have experienced trauma, however, nightmares can happen at any time of the night.
The impact of nightmares
Regardless of your history and whether or not you have experienced trauma, nightmares can be extremely overwhelming and distressing. According to the American Psychological Association (2013), nightmares are defined as internally generated, conscious experiences that seem vivid and real. They tend to become increasingly disturbing as they unfold. Emotions associated with nightmares are negative, such as fear, anxiety, disgust, anger, rage, embarrassment, and shame.
Nightmares disrupt the quality of our sleep, and their negative impact can stay with us throughout our day, interfering with our ability to function.
What can I do stop having nightmares?
The good news is that there are several things you can do to reduce the likelihood of having nightmares!
● Avoid reading or watching violent / distressing content close to bedtime
● Reduce stress and anxiety
● Avoid using alcohol and other substances before bed
● Talk to your doctor about your medications: Certain medications increase the likelihood of having nightmares
● Maintain a regular sleep routine whenever you can. Disrupted sleep routines contribute to the occurrence of nightmares
● Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation and other relaxation techniques
● Try dream rescripting
Dream rescripting:
Think about your most recent nightmare. Don’t worry too much about the content of the dream or remembering what happened; focus on the feelings that were associated with the nightmare.
If you can remember it, write / say / draw the beginning of the nightmare, stopping just before anything bad happens
Next, think about what you would have liked to happen in the last half of the dream instead. What would have been a more satisfying ending to the dream? What could have happened in the dream that would have made you feel safe and calm? Come up with an alternate ending to your dream – it can be anything you want!
● Tip #1: Dreams don’t follow the rules of logic or of the outside world! This means that your preferred dream can be as strange and unrealistic as you’d like it to be. You can be as creative as you like. In fact, the more creative, the sillier, and the less realistic, the better!
● Tip #2: Nobody else needs to know about your dream. You can script your dream in any way that feels right to you!
Before bedtime, reread your preferred dream. Visualize the new ending clearly in your mind for a few minutes, while practicing deep, slow breaths.
Practice rereading and visualizing your preferred dream a few nights in a row to increase the effectiveness of your preferred dream
Sleeping well is a crucial part of overall health and wellness. Taking control of your dreams can not only contribute to better sleep, but also to a better quality of life.
If you or someone you know is in need of support from one of our skilled therapists, call us today at 289-205-3505 or visit us at www.psychotherapyforyou.ca
Great read! Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you for the useful tips on sleep! I personally struggle with sleep and cannot wait to try these! Thanks for sharing!