Nightmares, children already suffer from them, but as adults they can suddenly be much worse. Especially if you regularly suffer from nightmares as an adult, this can be very problematic. You get upset every time and you can even develop a fear of sleeping because of it. This in turn causes you to suffer from symptoms such as insomnia, which again is not good for your daily activities.
That's why in this blog I'll discuss the cause of nightmares and what you can do about them.
Nightmares in adults
It is common knowledge that children have nightmares from time to time, but adults can also suffer greatly from nightmares. Between 2 and 8 percent of adults regularly suffer from nightmares, which is at least 1 in 50 anyway(1).
Among people with post-traumatic stress disorder, 80 percent suffer from nightmares, which is 8 out of 10 people with PTSD.
Nightmares are dreams that seem very real and evoke a lot of negative emotions, such as fear, disgust, sadness or anger. These realistic dreams can have a lot of details in the images and sounds that can make you wake up from them.
If you wake up with a heart rate much faster than normal, it's probably because of the nightmare.
The topics of nightmares may vary from person to person, as it may depend on the cause of the nightmares. For example, if you have had a traumatic experience, such as a car accident, that experience may keep imposing itself on you at night.
There are some nightmares that many people do experience, namely:
- Not being able to run fast enough in the face of danger.
- Falling a great distance down.
Nightmares with a clear cause
Nightmares sometimes seem to come out of nowhere, but there are often causes.
Eating before bed
If you have a habit of eating something just before bedtime, it can result in a nightmare. This is because your bowel movements then remain active while you want to sleep. This gives the brain a signal to stay active and this then results in an "active" nightmare.
Medicine
Some medications have the side effect of giving you nightmares. Oddly enough, antidepressants and other medications that affect the brain cause these very symptoms.
In addition, some blood pressure medications also have this side effect. If you are currently taking medication, it is important to read the package insert for this side effect. If the nightmares cause you to sleep too little and your daily life suffers, it is important to consult with your doctor about taking another medication.
Rehab
Even if you stop taking medication that has an addictive effect, such as some sleeping tablets or morphine, you may experience nightmares. In fact, this works the same way as it does for people coming off of alcohol or drug addiction.
Insomnia
Oddly enough, insomnia can give you a nightmare if you sleep again. Insomnia caused by nightmares can therefore perpetuate the nightmares again, and so you end up in a vicious cycle.
Other sleep problems, such as restless legs syndrome, and sleep apnea can also cause nightmares.
Psychological Cause
Psychological symptoms can also cause nightmares, such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Nightmares can exacerbate these psychological symptoms, and a link has also been found between nightmares and suicide.
Therefore, seek help if you are experiencing nightmares and explore what may be causing your nightmare.
Find out if any of the above causes could be causing your nightmares. For example, if you often eat something just before bedtime, you can stop that to see if it makes a difference.
Nightmare without a cause
If you cannot find a clear cause and still want the nightmares to stop, it is important to seek help.
Behavior modification can stop nightmares in 70% of cases. This is the case if you have no clear indication and also in cases of anxiety, depression or PTSD.
Treating nightmares in adults
One behavior change is to have a set time when you go to sleep and when you wake up again. For example, you might choose to go to bed at 11 a.m. every day and set the alarm at 7 a.m. if you don't already have a clear sleep schedule.
Regular exercise is also good for some people to reduce nightmares. A daily 30-minute walk can go a long way.
In addition, what you drink or smoke during the day is important. Coffee, alcohol and nicotine can have their effects in your blood for up to 12 hours and therefore affect the dreams you have. So drink coffee only in the morning and try to quit smoking and drinking. At least on weekdays.
Mental treatments for nightmares
In addition to behavior modification, mental treatments can also have great effect against nightmares. According to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the following mental treatments are possible against nightmares(2):
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective psychological therapies for nightmares. Another advantage of CBT is that the techniques can also be performed while the patient is under hypnosis, this then enhances the outcome of the therapy.
Hypnosis is also recommended by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine for people with nightmares to help them focus better during treatment and relax properly.
Image Rehersal therapy (IRT).
Multiple studies show that IRT helps against nightmares in people with post-traumatic stress disorder. In this technique, you write down or repeat the dream and then visualize the dream and rewrite the script. You change the storyline and how it ends.
You also practice this technique at home, such as during self-hypnosis, daily to turn the nightmare into a normal dream with a storyline you are comfortable with.
As a result, you may also suffer less from other complaints if your nightmares are caused by a psychological complaint.
Lucid dreaming therapy
Following on from this is actually directing the dream. Sometimes while dreaming you can get the realization that you are dreaming without waking up. Through this realization, it is possible to begin to consciously direct the dream.
But when you fail to direct the dream, it can be very frustrating.
Desensitization
Desensitization is generally used in therapy against anxiety. The idea of this therapy is that you learn to deal with the fear by confronting it. During that confrontation, you are made aware of the "automatic" reactions your body has.
Since the dream cannot be induced, confrontation can be done by writing down your dream. You then learn how to relax despite the negative emotions the dream arouses in you.
A hypnotherapist can also help you by eliciting the dream through guided visualization, as well as directly using other elements to reduce the effect on your emotions, such as muscle relaxation or suggestions that will make you feel it is no longer or at least less scary.
Progressive muscle relaxation
One such technique for keeping anxiety low is by applying progressive muscle relaxation. Progressive muscle relaxation has overlap with mindfulness body scan and body pose in yoga.
During progressive muscle relaxation, you tense and relax all the muscles in your body, but not all at once! For example, you start at your feet, from there you go to your calves and that way you work your way down to your crown. So even facial muscles are momentarily tensed and consciously relaxed.
Meditation
Meditation is a way to quiet your mind and discover yourself. Meditation can also help reduce nightmares.
Especially if your nightmares come from psychological causes, such as PTSD, transcendental meditation can help alleviate those symptoms and reduce nightmares.
Yoga
Yoga is a form of moving meditation. For example, if you want to move more and also meditate more, yoga is a good way to do both things at once. If the nightmares are caused by anxiety, depression or withdrawal symptoms, yoga can work well.
In fact, yoga is also used to reduce symptoms associated with depression, anxiety and withdrawal.
Nightmares in adults are more common than you think, so you're definitely not the only one. In fact, if you have experienced trauma, there is an 80 percent chance that you will suffer or have nightmares. So there is nothing for you to be ashamed of.
Fortunately, there are many things you can do about nightmares. Initially, you can look at your behavior before bedtime and any medication you may be taking or other medical conditions.
If the nightmare is caused by trauma, anxiety, depression or dependence on a particular substance, then hypnotherapy combined with CBT can certainly help.
Want to learn more about hypnosis and how you can use it to help yourself or others? Then come to a seminar or check out the trainings on this website.
Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/nightmares-in-adults#1
http://www.aasmnet.org/resources/practiceparameters/nightmaredisorder.pdf
http://publications.amsus.org/doi/abs/10.7205/MILMED-D-10-00254
