5 Ways To Overcome Bad Dreams That Disturb Your Night Sleep

Illustration of how to overcome nightmares that interfere with night sleep (Freepic)

YOGYAKARTA A nightmare is very tense and makes a person wake up in the middle of the night. In addition to disturbing quality night sleep, nightmares can also make you shaken or restless, making it difficult to sleep again. According to licensed psychologist Michele Leno, Ph.D., LP., nightmares are physically and emotionally troublesome dreams that interfere with your days and sleep.

Although the details of the nightmare cannot be remembered clearly, they have a huge impact on emotions and physicality, added doctor Leno. Like beautiful dreams, nightmares often occur in the resistance of REM (rapid eye emotion), when the brain is very active but the body is still resting. Bad dreams can be caused by complex things. It could be due to stress, trauma, anxiety, and irregular sleep schedules orVINCE," explained Jenny Flora Wells, MSW., LSW., ACSW., reported by VeryWellMind, Monday, July 8.

In some cases, nightmares can be due to symptoms of sleep disorders, mood disorders, threshold personality disorders, orsettles. Certain drugs, such as sedatives, amphetamines, and beta-blockers can also trigger nightmares.

Sometimes having nightmares, it may not be too bothersome. But nightmares can often cause high anxiety, lack of sleep, day fatigue, concentration disorders, and despair.

In the short term, nightmares can trigger a response against or run away, which causes symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating, and fast breathing, said Gabrielle Morse, LMHC. Well, to overcome nightmares that interfere with your night sleep, here's how.

Wells recommends practicing somatic awareness every day. Somatic awareness is a mindfulness activity that helps calm the nervous system by directing your attention to what the body is experiencing. Somatic awareness means directing attention to sensations, signals, movements, thoughts, and emotions without judging or pressing.

This technique helps you determine whether what you fear is based on objective reality in compliance with what is seen in dreams. It is also done to revisit what experiences are frightening, either in dreams or in the real world.

Get a calming touch

This is a gentle psycho-sensonic technique involving touch to calm down. For example, by hugging or stroking your face and head to make it calmer and relieve anxiety.

Breathe with technique 4-7-8

Breathe for four seconds, last for seven seconds, then exhale for eight seconds. This breathing technique, activates a parasimpathic nervous system that drives a break from stress responses triggered by nightmares.

Take something cold

You can use ice cubes, ice bags, or even take a cold shower, Wells advises. This method makes you more 'ground' and helps take your mind off the unpleasant experiences and brings moments to the moment.

In addition to the five ways to overcome the nightmares above, it is important to consult a mental health expert if the nightmare continues.