How to Cope with Nightmares

Encountering a nightmare can be a distressing experience. Although you can reduce the chances of having them, nightmares are unavoidable. When faced with one, there are several techniques you can use to handle them more effectively.

Quickly regain composure. When you wake up from a nightmare, you may feel frightened. Follow these steps immediately to dispel the fear and calm yourself:

• Sit up quickly after waking from the nightmare.
• Sit at the edge of the bed with your feet touching the floor.
• Focus on the objects around you. Read the names of things in the room aloud.
• Calmly reassure yourself. Tell yourself that you're safe and fully awake.
• Try to go back to sleep. If you can’t fall asleep after 15 minutes, engage in something relaxing until you feel tired.

Stabilize Your Senses. While assuring your mind that you are awake and safe, it’s also necessary to affirm this with your senses and body. Stabilize each sense by following these steps:

• Taste: Try eating something with a strong flavor, like mint. Avoid sugary foods as they may disrupt sleep.
• Touch: Feel something with a rough or cold surface, such as an ice cube.
• Smell: Keep relaxing or strong-smelling items like coffee or cloves next to your bed.
• Hearing: Choose soothing sounds or listen to calming music.

Learn to Breathe Calmly. Calm breathing can help lower your heart rate and soothe the fear and stress caused by nightmares. By practicing this technique, you can significantly improve your recovery time after a nightmare:

• Breathe in through your nose, keeping your mouth closed, and hold for 5 seconds.
• Slowly exhale. Think of words like “relax” or “calm” as you exhale.
• Hold for 5 seconds and inhale again.
• Practice this breathing technique during the day, before bed, and after experiencing a nightmare.

Don’t Dwell on the Nightmare. As soon as you wake up from a nightmare, try not to focus on what you just experienced. Sitting on the bed and thinking about the nightmare will only increase anxiety, making it harder to fall back asleep and increasing the risk of encountering another nightmare.

• Wait until the next morning to analyze and reflect on the nightmare.
• Get out of bed and calm yourself immediately. Try brewing some tea and reading something relaxing under soft lighting.
• Affirm to yourself that you are safe, and check the locks on your windows and doors.
• Remind yourself that even though the nightmare was frightening, it is over and just a dream.

Keep a Nightmare Journal. When you wake up during the day, write down the nightmare in a journal. Recording the details, themes, images, and dialogues from the nightmare will help you understand them and may uncover underlying causes from your waking life.

• Try to remember as many details as you can when writing about the nightmare.
• Look for any connections to your waking life. For example, a nightmare involving someone yelling at you and causing harm might relate to a stressful work environment.
• Write down your emotions, even if you can’t remember why you felt that way in the dream. Recognizing feelings of confusion in the dream can be important.

Talk to Trusted Friends or Family Members. Share your nightmares with someone you trust. Support from friends and family can provide comfort and reduce the likelihood of future nightmares.

• Discussing your nightmares with others can help you recall more details and explore any connections to your waking life.
• Only confide in those you feel safe with and trust fully.

Investigate the Causes of Nightmares. Nightmares can stem from various activities, and altering or avoiding those activities may reduce their occurrence. Examine your daily actions to identify potential triggers for nightmares, such as:

• Excessive stress in life. Any stress you’re experiencing can manifest in your dreams and cause nightmares. Review your daily routines for signs of overwhelming stress, and attempt to alleviate it to see if nightmares lessen.
• A traumatic event or PTSD. If you’ve experienced a past traumatic event, it could be the cause of your nightmares. Often, nightmares related to pain will feature reminders of that pain and tend to recur.
• Starting or stopping medication. Consult with your doctor about your prescription and ask whether stopping or switching medications could help reduce nightmares.
• Substance abuse, including alcohol or drugs. These substances can disrupt sleep patterns and lead to nightmares. Evaluate your consumption and talk to your doctor about discontinuing use if necessary.

Consult a Doctor. If nightmares occur more than once a week and disrupt your sleep, reach out to your doctor for a consultation. Prepare to answer questions and undergo the following procedures:

• When do your nightmares occur, and how often?
• What is the quality of your sleep? Do you frequently wake up suddenly and struggle to fall back asleep?
• Do your nightmares cause extreme fear or anxiety?
• Have you been experiencing heightened stress recently?
• What medications are you taking? Are you using substances like alcohol or drugs? How often and in what quantities? Do you use any alternative therapies or treatments?
• Your doctor may suggest a neurological or psychological evaluation.

Learn About Imagery Rehearsal Therapy. If you experience recurring nightmares or those related to trauma, you may benefit from Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT). This method has been shown to be effective in reducing nightmare frequency.

• Imagery Rehearsal Therapy involves mentally rehearsing your nightmares in a safe, controlled way.
• IRT is a proven and simple technique for reducing nightmares.
• Consult with your doctor or a therapist to learn the best approach for implementing this therapy.

Write Down Your Nightmare. Recall the nightmare once you wake up and write it down as if it's a story. Try to capture the key points and any details that stand out.

• Don’t be afraid to revisit your nightmare. Remember why you need to reflect on them.
• Be as truthful and accurate as possible with the details you recall.

Make Changes. Take responsibility for your nightmare and rewrite any parts of it if you wish. The main idea here is to transform the negative aspects of the nightmare into something positive. By changing the nightmare, you eliminate the underlying psychological cause of the nightmare. Try altering the following:

• Change the ending to make it positive.
• Alter the overall theme.
• Modify the plot to create a better context for the dream.
• Change any details you want to improve.

Rehearse the New Scenario in Your Mind. Actively imagine the modified nightmare during the day with the changes you just made. Rehearsing the nightmare this way will help you believe that the new, positive content you’ve written is replacing the previous nightmare.

• Do this at least once a day, for a few minutes.
• Repeating this exercise may lead to positive results.

• You are not alone. Nightmares are common, affecting 80-90% of the population to some degree in their lives.
• Usually, a counselor or therapist can help you cope with nightmares.
• Try to recall the sounds you hear in the dream; they may be familiar sounds from your home.
• While it might feel childish, turning on a nightlight in the darkest part of your room can provide comfort.
• Understand that nightmares are not omens of things to come, so don’t be afraid of anyone from your dream.
• Remember that nightmares are not real. If you need reassurance, talk to your close friends, parents, or relatives, and laugh together about the absurdity of the dream.

• If you experience nightmares that disrupt your sleep or prevent you from resting comfortably over a prolonged period, it’s important to see a doctor.
• If nightmares occur more than once a week, make sure to speak with your doctor.