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Why do we have nightmares?
We’ve all experienced a nightmare at some point in our lives. As a child you can probably remember having many sleepless nights lay on your bed with your head under the quilt, unable to sleep, for hours upon end and someday you’ll have to help your own children through the same difficulty. Unfortunately there’s nothing anyone can do to treat nightmares as they are feelings and people always forget them when they wake up, but we can give you advice on them and explain how your body makes them happen.
Why they happen-
Scientists have studied the brain for years and still only know very little about nightmares. It’s believed that they evolved to help make us anxious about potential dangers for example, in ancestral times, if an animal had previously attacked you then having nightmares about this would remind you that it could happen again so nightmares would have ensured you were on your toes at all times. Clearly the body is still trying to do this in the 21st century and it’s not all that necessary.
How to avoid them-
Some medications have a side effect which encourages nightmares. The first thing you and your doctor can do to reduce this is reduce your dosage which should decrease the side effect and help you to get a better night's sleep more frequently. However, if you’re not suffering due to medication, then behavioural changes have proven effective for 70% of people who suffer from nightmares.
If you still seem to be having nightmares it’s recommended that you take part in more exercise. This will help reduce stress and anxiety which would relax your thoughts at night leading to a decline in nightmarish sleep. Another brain-relaxing activity is yoga and meditation which is less high intensity than more demanding exercise. Any physical activity should help to relax your mind and body and aid in the reduction of those pesky night terrors.
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