Indescribable fear, severe panic attacks and anxiety are always unpleasant. Especially if this happens in a dream, when the subconscious is not able to react adequately and turns out to be completely unprotected from such a nightly “horror movie”. But many people, not knowing why they have terrible dreams, do not know how to interpret them correctly. Therefore, after them, they definitely expect changes in their lives and believe that they may be harbingers of terrible upcoming problems. In order to know for sure what a particular dream can mean, you need to be able to understand it correctly and listen to the clues that are hidden in its plot.
Why do you have nightmares?
Scary dreams can often occur if you watched a horror movie the day before or your stomach is full due to a hearty dinner eaten in the evening. In addition to these reasons, psychology experts have identified a number of reasons why people have such visions.
These include stressful situations, nervous breakdowns and disorders, poor health, specific diet, use of certain medications or abuse of alcoholic beverages. Nightmares can also be some kind of expression of some kind of dissatisfaction or anxiety. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and eliminate the real reason why you have terrible dreams.
If the nightmares do not disappear, it means that the problem of recurring bad dreams lies somewhere deep in the person’s subconscious. Then psychologists recommend analyzing a nightly “horror movie.” But this must be done not by waking up in the middle of the night, but during the day, when a person feels more protected from these nightmares.
When can horror dreams occur?
Scary dreams mostly occur late at night, with the worst phase lasting only a couple of minutes. But despite such a short duration, the human body reacts very violently to a dream. The heartbeat begins to quicken, and in some cases trembling occurs throughout the body, so the dreamer often wakes up screaming and in a cold sweat.
Many experts believe that a nightmare can be not only a reaction of the subconscious to certain events in life, but also a signal that you need to think about the state of your health. Therefore, in order to clearly understand what to do when you have bad dreams, you need to identify the problem of their occurrence.
The meaning of nightmares
Every dream we have carries a lot of information that we have experienced over a certain period of life.
Thus, it can be assumed that deep perception and human development allows one to see prophetic dreams. Every dream carries some kind of message, you just need to learn to understand the meaning of the events you dreamed of. No one is protected from nightmares. A person has had a terrible dream at least once in his life. But what do these frightening pictures mean in our imagination?
In scary dreams we often see a reflection of the real fears that we experience in real life. For example, if you are afraid of the dark, you may dream of falling from a high place. And if a person has a fear of water, then he dreams of a sea storm.
Scientists have proven that women usually have nightmares with emotional meaning:
- quarrel with a friend;
- parting with a loved one;
- relationship problems.
Women have nightmares at night, and after that they take the dream to heart.
Men have global dreams, such as:
- Apocalypse;
- fire;
- tsunami;
- earthquake.
You may also dream of any catastrophes that are difficult for a person’s life.
Each dream has a specific meaning, depending on events in a person's life. A student may dream of a final exam due to dislike for the educational institution. But an office worker having nightmares can serve as a reminder that there is no need to take on too many responsibilities at work, as well as in life.
10 reasons for nightmares and poor sleep
Adequate healthy sleep is necessary for every person on the planet. We need it to restore strength after a hard day. But due to the modern rhythm of life, which includes constant stress, about a third of the population suffers from insomnia or has nightmares. Disorders can be determined by many factors.
Read recommendations on how to get rid of insomnia
Doctors advise keeping a diary in which the patient can record events that may have caused a deterioration in the quality of sleep. This will help analyze the disease and prescribe treatment. There are many reasons that affect sleep. Let's consider the main ones:
1 Overwork
Constant overwork greatly affects the quality of sleep.
Try to get more rest so that you don’t have to look for ways to get rid of bad sleep. You may be so tired at work that now you won’t even be able to fall asleep. Overwork can affect not only the quality of your sleep, but also your overall health. The main signs of sleep disturbance are redness of the eyeballs, decreased reaction, swelling of the face, and nausea.
If you regularly overwork, you will not only have insomnia and nightmares, but also a bunch of other various diseases.
Night Terror Analysis
First, you need to ask yourself questions: “What haunts me?”, “Why does this nightmare cause anxiety?”, “What exactly frightens me about these terrible dreams?”
What can haunt people in dreams often symbolizes a set of personal qualities of a person, as well as events, feelings and abilities that he rejects in his real life. The main task of psychoanalysis of night terrors is to understand what is repressed and not accepted in oneself and can subsequently cause such a strong nightmare.
For example, if a person dreamed that he was being chased by a lion, this may mean that he is avoiding showing his masculinity and aggression. This happens because he tries to behave according to the rules instilled in him since childhood.
Be the source of nightmares, or despondency awaits you
Seeing yourself as the hero of a horror film, and in the form of a nightmare character, is a sign of sadness and despondency, says Pastor Loff’s dream book.
Not a very good interpretation of a dream in which you see passers-by shying away from you and running away screaming - wherever you go, you will be surrounded by bad news that is directly related to you.
I dreamed that you deliberately dressed up in something scary and terrified people - if you don’t pull yourself together and start taking responsibility for your actions, you will fall into depression, the Women’s Dream Book shares information.
What to do if you had a nightmare?
If you have a bad dream, you don’t need to be afraid of it and expect something bad to happen right away. Psychologists advise not to attach much importance to creepy stories, but they cannot be completely ignored.
People are accustomed to turning to ordinary dream books for interpretation immediately after nightmares. But it is worth remembering that they always consider classic cases, in which the individual’s individual anxieties and experiences, as well as his current life situation, are not taken into account. Therefore, bad dreams need to be deciphered differently, listening to your inner feelings.
Interpretation according to Samokhvalov
Samokhvalov’s psychoanalytic dream book has its own interpretation. Nightmares are explained by severe psychological conflict. They can be concentrated primarily on suppressing sexual desires. In reality, they may be practically unconscious, but they are expressed during sleep.
Reluctance to acknowledge these desires turns an erotic dream into horror. The fear that is experienced inside the night vision is a feeling of guilt for sinful thoughts, therefore nightmares are explained as suppression of sexual desire and prohibition.
Nightmares in very young children are associated with an unpleasant birth experience that is traumatic for the child. Over time, this goes away on its own. If an older child already has nightmares, the right solution would be to consult a psychologist.
Interpretation of nightmares
In order to know what to do if you have bad dreams, you need to understand their meaning. For example, a nightmare in which a fire is seen means that in his daily life a person is too careless with fire.
Natural disasters and various disasters can come in night dreams if people feel threatened or perceive some events occurring in their lives as dangerous for themselves.
A person may dream that he is being chased or attacked when he is very afraid of something and wants to escape or hide from it. If he sees himself sick, wounded or dying, this means that some kind of transition period has begun in life.
People often dream that their spouse leaves them. This plot speaks of a cooled relationship between partners, as well as the fact that a person is afraid of being left alone.
Why do you have bad dreams from Wednesday to Thursday? After all, many argue that such nightmares are the most truthful and there is a high probability that they can come true in reality. In this case, it is best to forget them and tune yourself into a positive wave, so that internal forces can overcome all unpleasant thoughts and prevent the dream from coming true in life.
Fearlessness as a symbol of struggle and victory
If in your dream you managed to overcome numbness by meeting a monster, victory also awaits you outside the world of night dreams.
Fighting the panic and horror that gripped you in a dream is a sign that you have leadership qualities, suggests the Modern Dream Book.
To see some terrible creature in your house, but not feel horror at the same time - nothing will stop you in the fight for your ideas and desires.
If in your night dreams you happen to see people with an expression of horror on their faces, creating chaos and disorder, you are in for a serious fight with an opponent who is stronger than you.
Anxious dreams while expecting a baby
“Why do you have bad dreams during pregnancy?” - this is a question many expectant mothers ask. At this time, a woman’s life is filled with new sensations and emotions, which is associated with raging hormones in their body. They begin to perceive everything differently and worry about everything, so the likelihood that they will periodically have nightmares is very high.
Expectant mothers tend to exaggerate the meaning of bad dreams and at the same time begin to worry greatly, constantly looking for the secret meaning of these nightly horrors, especially if they had such dreams from Wednesday to Thursday. The interpretation of nightmares in this case may show that the woman is afraid that she is not yet ready for motherhood, or is afraid of losing her unborn child. In the end, these are just “pregnancy experiences” and nothing more.
Causes
To understand why nightmares haunt you, you need to find out the cause of the unpleasant phenomenon. Sleep disorders are studied by a special science - somnology. It has been proven that nightmares periodically occur in all people, regardless of age, place of residence or material income.
Scientists have systematized the reasons that provoke night terrors, including in the classification general preconditions characteristic of each person.
Childhood
Children are more emotional than adults, so they experience nightmares more often. This is a normal tendency and has nothing to do with a psychological disorder.
The following can torment a baby in a dream:
- scary cartoon;
- parents' quarrel;
- loneliness.
Sometimes a child feels guilty for a crime committed, suffers from conflict with peers, is afraid of physical punishment, or is afraid to be left alone at home. Nervous tension provokes anxiety and contributes to nightmares.
Psychological trauma caused in childhood continues into adulthood. They cause nightmares for many years. Such people need the help of a professional psychologist, since it is difficult to get rid of the problem on their own.
Overwork
Restless, anxious sleep can be a symptom of overwork or excessive nervous tension. Problems begin to appear in people engaged in responsible work that involves physical and mental strength . According to statistics, people most often suffer from nightmares are:
- police officers;
- doctors;
- rescue workers;
- firefighters.
Due to their profession, these people regularly find themselves in stressful situations, which affect the quality of their sleep.
Stress, depression
During depression, a person's brain is in a depressed state. The subconscious is looking for ways out of the impasse even in a dream, so proper rest is impossible. Nervous stress can provoke scary dreams with a repeating plot. After them, a person wakes up in a cold sweat and cannot close his eyes until the morning.
Nightmares are a protective reaction of the nervous system that manifests itself in response to tragic events. They pursue participants in road accidents, witnesses to crimes, and soldiers returning from a combat zone.
Impressionable people may suffer from nightmares after reading a scary book or watching an action-packed movie. The fact that negative dreams are repeated indicates chronic stress caused by an unloved job and a lack of bright impressions.
Health problems
Night terrors can be a sign of deteriorating health. A common nightmare in which a person is strangled is a common symptom of cardiovascular disease. Restless dreams are observed during the development of a viral or bacterial infection . They increase body temperature, cause headaches, and chills. The painful condition becomes a prerequisite for terrible dreams.
Doctors believe that even minor health problems can lead to nightmares. Often a person does not feel other negative symptoms, although a destructive process is underway in the body. If sleep difficulties occur frequently, you need to get tested. This will help identify pathology and begin treatment on time.
Binge eating
During sleep, the work of all organs and systems slows down. Overeating can disrupt the process. Eating spicy, fatty food in the evening can easily lead to a prolonged nightmare and worsen stomach function .
It is necessary to have dinner no later than 4 hours before bedtime, and not to drink a lot of water late in the evening.
Poor sleeping conditions
For proper rest, a person needs a calm environment. The causes of nightmares are:
- steps in the room;
- loud music;
- flickering light;
- working TV.
The choice of sleeping place is of great importance. It is important that the room is regularly ventilated, the bed linen is made of natural materials, and the pillow does not compress the neck. Sometimes it’s easy to get rid of a nightmare by turning the bed the other way. Some experts associate the trend with the biofield located in the apartment.
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It has been noticed that the quality of sleep deteriorates if you sleep on your left side. This happens because in this position there is a lot of pressure on the heart. The supply of oxygen to the brain decreases, and a bad dream occurs.
It is not advisable to sleep on your back. During such a rest, the back becomes tense, and lower back pain may appear. In response, the body turns on the defense - a nightmare, forcing the person to roll over on his side.
Bad habits and taking medications
Smoking disrupts the functioning of the lungs, leads to constant oxygen starvation and intoxication, causing negative changes in the body. Alcoholism provokes the same consequences. Bad habits become a common cause of restless dreams, as they do not allow a person to relax, forcing the organs to work hard, neutralizing toxic substances day and night .
The use of tranquilizers, antidepressants and sleeping pills affects the nervous system. Interfering with her work can be a prerequisite for panic nightmares that make your back go cold and make you sweat. Symptoms become more acute when you become accustomed to the drug and when it is abruptly discontinued.
Why do you have nightmares after drinking?
Ethyl alcohol negatively affects brain function. Therefore, a drunk person often has nightmares. He may scream in his sleep and rush around the bed. In chronic alcoholics, the causes of nightmares are:
- decreased sensitivity of nerve endings;
- apnea syndrome - stopping breathing during sleep;
- delirium tremens.
The secret side of personality
Sometimes dreams reveal a person’s secret desires and passions that do not manifest themselves in everyday life, muted by norms of behavior..
It could be:
- aggression;
- anger;
- non-traditional sexual orientation.
Sigmund Freud developed the method of free association. He said that a dream is an unspoken desire of the subconscious. A person usually does not realize it or hides it from himself, considering it dangerous or obscene.
Doctors note that insecure people who are under pressure from a strong personality are prone to nightmares.
Creative person
It is believed that creative people are more sensitive to emotional experiences. They may not pay attention to everyday troubles, but they react sharply to everything connected with the spiritual world. Because of this, their psychological state is unstable and leads to nightmares in their sleep.
Cases have been recorded of talented poets and artists having prophetic dreams. They warned of negative events that were about to happen in the near future.
How to get rid of bad dreams?
From all of the above, only one conclusion can be drawn: you should not be afraid of nightmares, since they are only a product of the human subconscious. If you do not ignore them, you can understand what thoughts or problems a person has accumulated. Therefore, in order for nightmares to stop, you just need to eliminate all the reasons that contribute to their appearance.
Some experts advise people who suffer from bad dreams to discuss their plot with someone they can completely trust. A look from the outside will always help to detect complexes or shortcomings that a person is not even aware of.
In addition, you can overcome nightmares with the help of drawing. To do this, you just need to sketch out creepy pictures from a bad dream, remembering and recording all the smallest details on a piece of paper. When the drawing is completed, you need to take a good look at it and try to find an image that causes indignation and fear.
Some evening rituals, such as a bath with essential oils and complete relaxation, can also help you get a good night's sleep.
What to do to prevent the nightmare from coming true?
When you have already had a terrible dream, and a person is extremely afraid that all his events could happen in real life, it is better to do the following:
- After waking up, say three times: “Where night goes, sleep follows,” and then spit 3 times over your left shoulder.
- Turning all the bedding a person was sleeping on inside out when he had a nightmare.
- Describe your terrible dreams on paper, and also write in detail about all the negative emotions about this and burn this sheet. As people say, sleep should dissipate along with the ashes.
After a nightmare, the first thing you need to do in the morning is to immediately make your bed. This action is done in order to close the inner world and prevent uninvited guests from entering there.
