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How can I stop having nightmares?

24 Answers
Last Updated: 01/10/2022 at 5:22am
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Tanyia Hughes, Adv Dip Psy

Psychotherapist

I have been through a lot in life too, which helps me to be able to empathize with situations, thoughts and feelings that we have. Sometimes, it's not easy just being human.

Top Rated Answers
Profile: Aditi24
Aditi24
November 7th, 2014 6:02am
Dreams are nothing but your thoughts and feelings stored in your unconscious mind. You are unaware of their existence within you. So when you tend to overly think about a situation you are afraid of, your unconscious mind makes a note of it and release the feelings of fright while you are asleep (in simple words, your body sleeps but your mind stays awake).
Profile: Mikool
Mikool
September 28th, 2014 12:16pm
Well, what I did to stop nightmares was just going to sleep listening to music. You plug your telephone/ Ipod/ music device near you and then just wait until you fall asleep. This is useful as a distraction because it helps your brain to get focused on the music playing instead of the bad things. Good luck!
Anonymous
January 31st, 2016 2:54pm
Try watching or reading something happy before you sleep. This will make you dream of happy things while you sleep.
Profile: PoeticWhisperer13
PoeticWhisperer13
February 11th, 2016 3:13am
Write them down, and remember that they are just dreams that you made up. They are all in your head.
Profile: Rivielle
Rivielle
October 25th, 2014 6:19am
Yes you can stop having nightmares. Nightmares really depends, sometimes it's because of a traumatizing situation that you experienced or maybe you're toostressed out. You can ask for a professional help to now the cause of your nightmares if it's constantly bothering you every night. :)
Profile: crlody
crlody
November 8th, 2014 11:02pm
I had nightmares every night for most of my life until I worked on my emotional stability. For me what worked was meditating and journaling on a daily basis. Once I started feeling better during my waking hours my dreams reflected that - now I rarely, if ever, have nightmares.
Profile: FriendlyFlower
FriendlyFlower
October 31st, 2014 6:29pm
When I used to have nightmares, i bought LED lights that had a lovely soft glow for my bedroom,i hung it around my room . I then used to drink something warm and would say to myself nothing can hurt me...slowly i realized my nightmares disappeared.
Anonymous
November 14th, 2014 1:57am
Sometimes when I have nightmares I take time to envision an alternate ending to my nightmare. A friend of mine started running for cross-country and said exercise can help as well as not eating before bed.
Profile: Livvehh753
Livvehh753
November 18th, 2014 7:12pm
To stop nightmares I would advise listening to some kind of visualisation recording or meditation cd to help to calm yourself for bed. This will tell your body that it is time to sleep. Think about everything you are looking forward to the next day or things that have gone well recently (Happy thoughts) before bed. If you do continue to get nightmares keep a drink and a relaxing recording by your bed to help you go back to sleep and sometimes writing down about the nightmare can help. If these persist you could consider seeing a counsellor to help to dig a little deeper into why you may be getting nightmares.
Profile: elliejade
elliejade
February 10th, 2016 5:47pm
Nightmares can be caused by things that you have looked/watched that is scary or scares you. For example watching a ghost movie can cause paranormal types of dreams. Eating food before bed can also cause nightmares, cheese apparently gives you nightmares. Illness and your emotional state can also cause nightmares. So if you have seen something throughout the day, avoid watching it. If you have eaten, eat several hours before bed. Go to your GP and get medication if you're ill, and maybe see a counselor to help with your emotional state and you might find that you'll be sleeping better without the nightmares of course.
Anonymous
January 10th, 2022 5:22am
You have to make yourself really, really, tired before going to sleep. Also be very mindful of what you are doing before going to sleep. Nothing that encourages nightmares should be done during the evening. I think of a story I enjoy before going to sleep, and usually in my dream that is how it begins. Also, as long as it not from a PTSD or trauma, just stop scary things all together. This includes, thrillers, horrors, and even edgy images. We cannot control our brains at night, so keeping them as clean as possible is the next best alternative.
Profile: Petchricor
Petchricor
September 15th, 2014 3:49am
Nightmares can be sometimes be caused by your body being anxious or active before bed, if you go to sleep right after activity it can cause bad dreams. Try calming yourself down before sleeping by reading a book. If this is not the case, maybe you should consider other causing to these dreams. Finding the cause can often provide a solution.
Profile: courageousJoy86
courageousJoy86
April 3rd, 2018 8:49pm
Try getting distant from things that trigger you during the day. Maybe that would mean not interacting to certain people, or abstaining yourself from watching horror, whatever that may be, try to find the root of the nightmare in daily life and combat it.
Anonymous
February 11th, 2016 3:13pm
Nightmares are just reflection of your thoughts, your thinking , what you think before you go bed so here simple thing think something positive something beautiful something that make you relax and dont be stressed out when you making bed be relaxed .
Profile: SincerelyMe15
SincerelyMe15
February 4th, 2016 4:45pm
Whenever I've had bad dreams for a couple nights a row, I like to make myself a cup of warm milk and honey. Helps for me!
Anonymous
February 3rd, 2016 9:45pm
Nightmares are sometimes related with bad eating habits. Or maybe it just means you had an stressful day, or you are afraid or concerned about something. Find out what it is and try to solve it
Profile: ADVANCEDsearch
ADVANCEDsearch
January 29th, 2016 2:29pm
first you can stop drinking or eating caffienated thngs before you sleep :D greedy lol then you can think about pleasant stuff b4 you rest. usually a dream develops from thoughts. so take it easy and think sweet :D
Profile: Quechua
Quechua
January 24th, 2016 8:07am
I used to have nightmares a lot, mainly about giant spiders (thanks Harrry Potter and The Chamber Of Secrets) and what really heped me more than anything else was performing meditation right before I slept. I would just put an online guide on and then follow that, it only took around 20 minutes or so. Recently, I haven't been meditating, yet despite that I haven't had a single nightmare. Other than that, I'd recommend trying to get to sleep at a reasonable time and having herbal tea before you go to bed.
Anonymous
October 26th, 2015 7:03pm
I have read in several studies that sleeping in super cold room and not feeling warm has been correlated to cause nightmares. Try changing the temperature to see if that helps.
Profile: hopefulReeds56
hopefulReeds56
July 20th, 2015 5:40pm
Maybe try listening to calming music before you go to bed and change your routine. If all else fails it is best to seek medical attention.
Anonymous
July 7th, 2015 8:19pm
You can stop having nightmares when you have conquered all of your fears, imperfections and worries. AKA when you have turned into a perfect human.
Profile: salamanderWizard
salamanderWizard
May 27th, 2015 9:56pm
Nightmares are generally hard to overcome without reaching out for help. Consider talking to someone close to you. If you find nightmares are greatly effecting your sleep and health do not hesitate to contact a medical professional.
Profile: laurapb
laurapb
November 6th, 2014 9:54pm
Try having a tea (with no caffeine) before going to bed and playing some quiet music. Try to be warm and adopt a relaxed position.
Profile: nuuuris
nuuuris
November 1st, 2014 4:33pm
That's normal, sometimes we all have nightmares, maybe you can try to sleep thinking in beautiful things or driking hot milk or listening to sweet music before sleeping :)