While you might not always remember your dreams, we often remember the ones that scare us awake. So, we wanted to know from a sleep specialist why nightmares even happen.
“Stress, anxiety, whether that’s due to things you have going on in your life that represent more of a stressor or a challenge, things like a move, a change in a job, or loss of a loved one, things like that. All of these kinds of unresolved problems that we experience during the day can definitely cross over into our nightmare activity,” explained Dr. Alaina Tiani, with Behavioral Sleep Medicine at Cleveland Clinic.
Tiani said nightmares could also be influenced by watching a scary movie, seeing something upsetting on the news or having a difficult conversation before bed.
Those who experience post-traumatic stress disorder can experience nightmares as well. And alcohol, caffeine, and side effects of certain medications can play a role, too.
Tiani said while you can’t always control if you have a nightmare, there are some things you can do to potentially help. For example, focusing on stress management and being mindful of the content you’re consuming.
“That’s true for probably both adults and kiddos that media exposure, the things that we might read or the videos we might watch, just being mindful of the content because anything stressful or overwhelming could set us up to potentially -- they may not cause nightmares but may heighten the risk, that those themes or feelings could be present in our dreams,” she explained.
According to the Sleep Foundation, triggers that can induce troubling dreams include:
- Eating too close to bedtime
- Certain medications like beta-blockers, antidepressants, antibiotics -- even melatonin supplements
- Someone with a fever is also more susceptible to nightmares
- Those who are pregnant (typically attributed to being stressed about the baby and upcoming life changes)
And parents, don’t worry. The Sleep Foundation says frequent nightmares are fairly common in childhood. They can start in children who are just a few years old -- peaking during school age -- and then often decreasing in the teenage years.
If your nightmares are frequent, recurrent and impact your quality of life, Tiani said, it’s best to consult with a medical provider or mental health professional who can talk about your treatment options, which can include different kinds of relaxation and stress-relief therapies. She said hypnosis can also be an option for people with specific nightmare triggers.