How to scare away nightmares

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Nov 28th 2007 9:19PM

Categories: Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation

Do you have frequent nightmares? For most people, nightmares are only an occasional occurence, but if they're a regular thing, they can seriously affect your sleep ... and your health. Nightmares are often caused by underlying stress. So how do you keep them at bay? Everyday Health has these suggestions:

Talk to friends and family about things that are bothering you. It will help reduce stress and you might even figure out what is at the root of your sleep problems.
Try relaxation techniques before bed.
Think about other causes of your nightmares -- if they started around the time you started taking a new medication, talk to your doctor. Drinking and using recreational drugs can also be at the root of the problem.
Get regular exercise.
Establish a regular sleep schedule and stick to it.

Source

Comments (10)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Cindy Sutton 11-29-2007 @ 4:42PM

I only get nightmares when I sleep on my back, for some odd reason.

Lisa 11-29-2007 @ 5:30PM

I even have a more simple step... whatever stress you're having think of something very postive before going to bed to "forget" about it. I have been doing this for sometime and I can't remember the last time I had a nightmare.

Ron 11-29-2007 @ 5:58PM

turn on the TV auto shutoff before lying down for bed. I was having nightmares that I was being shot at in a war, till I realized I was going to sleep leaving the history channel on my TV

artistadam 11-29-2007 @ 6:27PM

i am the same as comment #1... i find that the best way to curb my nightmares is to just not sleep on my back... it seems like every time i wake up due to a nightmare, i am lying on my back... sleeping on my side gives me pleasant dreams :D...

max 11-29-2007 @ 8:14PM

For those of you who get nightmares when sleeping on your back, you might consider checking with your doctor about sleep apnea which may be robbing your brain of oxygen periodically throughout the night.

Rontoo 11-29-2007 @ 8:13PM

Especially if you only get nightmares when you sleep on your back, it could possibly be sleep apnea. If you are not getting enough oxygen and are struggling to breath in your sleep, it can trigger nightmares. In my case using a CPAP machine has made for much more restful nights. For my partner too, as my snoring is also stopped by the machine.

JT 11-30-2007 @ 12:07AM

I have nightmares that scare the hell out of me. I awake shaking and sweaty. After the initial fright (this is the wierd part) I find myself thinking that it was really cool! I go right back to sleep with no problem. I find I actually like an occational nightmare. Kinda sick huh?

Gregory Dittmer 11-30-2007 @ 12:07AM

Obviously, the people that conceived this article have never had any real traumatic events in their lives or they would see this "advice" as the load of dung it truely is!!

Lila 11-30-2007 @ 12:07AM

I have noticed this too! Just about every time I have a bad dream I lying am lying on my back when I wake up! I don't ever actually go to sleep lying on my back though. I wonder if for some reason a bad dream makes us roll around and we end up lying that way? Strange that other people noticed this too!