How to sleep more peacefully

Dr. Charini Parti He is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and is accredited in sleep medicine and internal medicine.

She said on the health linenightmare“Has a subjective element.

“A nightmare for one person may be a bad dream for another,” Parti said.

But she added that vibrant and realistic sequences of dreams tend to get in the way as they unfold in nightmares.

“Nightmare content most often focuses on imminent or physical dangers to individuals, but it can also include other dire themes,” says Paruthi.

These themes are influenced by the visual images seen during the day, especially before bedtime. Jennifer Martin, PhD, a member of the AASM Board of Directors and a professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine.

“Dreams are one of the ways our minds deal with emotions, especially intense emotions, so it’s natural to have nightmares when under stress,” Martin told Healthline. “For most people, dreams stop when stress is gone.”

Mental health professionals are advised to acquire some coping skills to improve sleep during stressful times, as collective COVID-19 anxiety and fear are unlikely to disappear soon. Recommended.

Experts agree that bad dreams are caused by stress and anxiety and offer several home-based approaches.

Prioritize quality sleep

Both Martin and Parti say that fragmentation of sleep makes people more likely to remember their dreams.

“It’s more important than ever to get a good night’s sleep during the COVID pandemic, as nightmares have a greater impact on sleep fragmentation,” Martin said.

Don’t stick to your nightmare

“If you wake up in a fierce dream or nightmare, don’t stick to it,” Martin said. “Remember that these dreams are a normal part of emotional processing during stressful times.”

Martin recommends distracting after waking up from a bad dream with a crossword puzzle, a book, or a quiet time in another room.

“Go back to bed when you’re calm,” she said.

Practice the endings of various dreams

Parti said he recommends a technique called image rehearsal for those who have bad dreams or nightmares.

“This involves thinking about recurring bad dreams and coming up with different endings,” she explained. “The person will want to” rehearse “this in his head for about 5-10 minutes, every night for about 28 days, lying in bed. “

“The ending doesn’t have to be the best, the best ending, but it has to be a reasonably good ending,” she said.

For example, consider a nightmare in which a person is always chased by someone in a dream.

Parti said he might come up with an end as easy as stepping into a store with guards blocking trackers. Alternatively, the chaser may be passing by and hiding behind a tree. Alternatively, you might find a magic wand in your pocket and create a portal that carries the chaser in the middle of the forest.

Experts encourage people to focus again Stress reduction..

“Find out the cause of stress and try to resolve it or overcome it,” Parti said. “Some people work well by creating a’diary of worries’. It’s a good idea to set a time before and after dinner to write and think about your concerns so that you’re well away from bedtime. “

Parti also said it’s important to have 15-30 minutes Bedtime routine Think of good things to dream about.

“If the last image in your mind is a horrifying COVID-19 related image, that’s what you dream of,” she said. “Watch photos of your last vacation, watch ridiculous videos on YouTube, play board games.”

Finally, Paruthi suggests trying out meditation and yoga apps during the day or at bedtime.

Studies have shown that long-term yoga practice improves sleep quality, depth, and duration. Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa He is a PhD in Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts and a Research Director of the Yoga Alliance.

“Yoga may help someone suffering from a nightmare, as long as the nightmare may be a reflection of a stressor training himself through the sleep process,” Khalsa told Healthline.

“Consistent nightmares are a major symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder, and there is increasing evidence that yoga practice can improve PTSD,” Khalsa added.

The pandemic marks a clear time before and after in most people’s lives.

Experts have hinted that collective trauma and shared traumatic experiences are happening, but these dream clusters give us a first glimpse of what this really looks like.

However, they say there is a subtle line between the nightmares associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the recurring nightmares.

“Nightmares that begin within three months of trauma occur in up to 80% of patients with PTSD,” says Paruthi.

Examples of pandemic-related trauma include blockades, COVID-19 diagnoses, related unemployment, and work as an integral worker at the forefront.

Approximately 50% of PTSD cases resolve within 3 months, according to Parti, but post-traumatic nightmares can last a lifetime.

In addition, drugs can cause nightmares for people with other mental health problems such as PTSD and depression.

It is important to consult your doctor if you are worried.

If a nightmare causes you distress or disability in social, professional, or other important functional areas, experts say you should seek help from a board-certified sleep doctor.

Such disorders include mood disorders, cognitive impairment, and sleep resistance due to anxiety about nightmares.