Prime News Ghana

Nightmares: how to stop a bad dream from manifesting

By Justice Kofi Bimpeh
6 ways to stop bad nightmares
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Very disturbing and horrible dreams mostly are ones that will negatively impact on your mental and emotional health.

Bad dreams basically prevent people from having a sound sleep which will not enable them to have productive working hours. 

In a Ghanaian context, bad dreams have mostly been attributed to spiritual haunting.

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But there are some revealing factors that can cause a bad nightmare.

 

Bad dreams negatively impact on mental and emotional health

When we sleep, our body gets fresh and rejuvenates itself for the following day, but it’s our mind that still remains active. It is busy in sorting and filing information that it gathers throughout the day. If you are one of those who frequently experience nightmares and wake up rattled, here’s what you can do to stop them.

There can be a number of reasons that can cause nightmares. Nightmares can be caused due to various factors and underlying disorders. Some reasons include a few medications and drugs that act on chemicals in the brain, like antidepressants.

Some non-psychological medications such as blood pressure medications could also be responsible for causing nightmares in adults. Also, nightmares could be the result of traumatic experiences of the past.


GET THE UNDERLYING CAUSE TREATED: Get it checked by a health expert and know the underlying problem. If your nightmares are the result of sleep apnea, REM disorder, anxiety or depression, talk to your doctor and get them treated.

REDUCE STRESS: Stress is the reason behind many health issues. From making us anxious to affecting our health, stress can also be the reason for your nightmares. Practice yoga, meditation or indulge in those activities that help you stay calm and relaxed.

IMPROVE YOUR SLEEPING PATTERN: Nightmares can also be the result of disturbed and distracted sleep. Therefore, taking steps that could help you in improving your sleep could help in preventing nightmares. Make your bedroom environment relaxing. Keep it neat and tidy and sleep in a normal temperature, neither too warm or too cold.

THE BLUE LIGHT IMPACT: The blue light that emits from electronic gadgets could impact the quality of your sleep. Avoid using these gadgets, especially your mobile phone close to bedtime.

IMAGERY REHEARSAL TREATMENT: This is a type of cognitive therapy that could effectively reduce nightmares. In this therapy, you imagine an alternate ending to your nightmares. So, while you are awake, you imagine a happy ending to your bad dream. For instance, if you get a nightmare, where you are falling, just imagine that you have a parachute that opens and saves you.

TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT YOUR NIGHTMARES: Discuss your nightmares with someone you trust and who could help you in feeling better.

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