Frequent Nightmares? Expert Advice, Do These 5 Ways To Overcome It

Illustration of how to overcome nightmares (Freepik/Karlyukav)

JAKARTA – Waking up with a bad dream, often having trouble falling back asleep. Do you often have nightmares? According to experts, nightmares tend to stick in memory because when you wake up during sleep, data about dreams is still trapped in the front of the brain.

According to Lauri Loewenberg, dream analyst and author of Dream on It: Unlock Your Dreams, Change Your Life, as reported by Well+Good, Tuesday, December 21, there are several ways to control dreams. You can even have happy dreams. But this is not the only way to get sweet dreams. You see, dreams are also influenced by activities during waking hours.

Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., chief sleep advisor at mattress company Purple, suggests several ways to avoid nightmares. Here's what you can do to stay asleep without waking up from unwanted dreams.

1. Control access to certain content before bed

Breus recommends not interacting with negative content for 90 minutes before you go to bed. This is an attempt to control the brain and promote good mood. According to Breus, if you watch distracting content before going to bed, you may dream about the distraction.

Loewenberg adds, we tend to dream about what we think the most. That is, relax your mind before going to bed so that what you think doesn't control your sleep dreams.

2. Write a dream journal

Psychotherapist Annie Armstrong Miyao says, writing a dream journal really helps you be better prepared to decipher what you're dreaming of. So Miyao advises those of you who often have nightmares to see dreams again and understand them. Identify the symbol in the dream, then relate it to the emotion of the dream.

A dream journal also helps you identify patterns in dreams. This is a positive way to give yourself an answer, including finding ways to have more beautiful dreams.

3. Avoid consuming caffeine after the evening

Drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks, Breus is advised not to consume it after 2 pm. Cutting back on caffeine can help you stay in a lighter sleep resulting in less REM, which is where you dream most of the time.

4. Don't eat before bed

Loewenberg advice, avoid eating at all within two hours before bed. If you eat heavy and sweet food, it will most likely cause nightmares. Well, if you are hungry near bedtime, choose healthy foods such as vegetables or salads.

5. Avoid emotionally charged conversations

Getting angry or talking loudly before going to bed may disturb your sleep. Feelings of annoyance, disappointment, and anger need to be avoided. According to Miyao, neglected emotions, needs, and desires often appear in dreams. This means that you need to introspect and be honest with yourself to recognize your emotions and your heart's desires so you don't get carried away in dreams.