What do nightmares mean?

Nightmares can be truly distressing and continue to bother us long after we've slept. Here, we'll explain why they occur, what these bad dreams mean, and what you can do to better cope with nightmares.

Table of contents

1. What are nightmares?
2. What do nightmares mean?
3. How do nightmares arise?
4. Causes of nightmares
5. Are nightmares dangerous?
6. What can you do about nightmares?
7. Conclusion

1. What are nightmares?

Nightmares are intense and extremely distressing dreams that are usually associated with negative emotions such as fear, sadness, anger, or disgust. Unlike "normal" bad dreams, however, they rouse you from sleep and allow you to clearly remember the dream content the next morning. Nightmares occur more frequently in the second half of the night, as this is when we spend more time in REM sleep. A nightmare can last from a few minutes to 20 or 30 minutes and ends with waking up, after which you are usually wide awake and lucid.

We've all certainly had bad dreams at some point. However, experiencing nightmares frequently (3-4 times per week) is considered a serious nightmare disorder in sleep medicine.

Nightmares are particularly common in children between 6 and 11 years of age, but can also occur from time to time in adulthood. Women up to three times more often affected than men. Why we dream at all, you can find out here read more.

2. What do nightmares mean?

When we dream, we process the experiences and thoughts of the day. In nightmares, we encounter our greatest fears and threats, which burden us emotionally and make us reflect. Bad dreams can therefore have a real background and reflect stress, stress or deal with everyday worries. Some researchers also assume that nightmares could serve as a kind of training for us to cope with inner conflicts. Our brain essentially plays through various possibilities and tries to capture diffuse or unconscious emotions in concrete images. Confronting these fears and feelings in dreams gives us the chance to perceive them and learn how to deal with them.

However, waking up from a nightmare has a lasting effect and the emotions it awakens often continue to burden us the next day when we are awake.

The most common contents of nightmares:

1. Fall into the depths

2. Persecution by other people

3. Inability to move

4. Delay for an important appointment

5. Disappearance or death of a loved one

6. film scene

7. Failure at work or in an exam

8. Physical defense against attackers

3. How do nightmares arise?

Dreams take place in all sleep phases, but are REM sleep particularly intense, which occurs more frequently in the second half of the night. During dreams, the brain areas responsible for processing emotions are highly active. – the so-called limbic system and in particular the amygdala, which plays a role in the processing of negative feelings such as fear and anger.At the same time, the body is in the Sleep paralysis, in which muscle tension decreases and we are unable to move. The inability to move sometimes also finds its way into dreams, for example, when you want to flee from danger but simply stand still, or when you want to scream for help and remain completely silent.

There are many different reasons why nightmares occur. stressSevere psychological stress, trauma, and a "thin-skinned" personality can intensify nightmares and their lasting, stressful effects. However, individual experiences, scenes from a film, or the use of certain medications can also contribute to the development of nightmares.

4. Causes of nightmares

Biological predisposition

Nightmares can actually be genetic, as was investigated in a study with identical and fraternal twins.

Stress & strain in everyday life

Stress is mentally and physically taxing. This often results in intense negative emotions such as sadness, anger, fear, or frustration, so people with low stress tolerance are also more likely to suffer from nightmares.

personality

Sensitive or nervous people reach high levels of stress more quickly and perceive situations or feelings more intensely. After a grueling horror movie, intense action scenes, or similar experiences, they may experience bad dreams. A negative self-image and low life satisfaction can also contribute to bad dreams.

Mental illnesses/traumatic experiences

Traumatic and frightening experiences have a strong impact on the psyche and nervous system, resulting in a more frequent occurrence of nightmares. However, depression, anxiety disorders, and other mental illnesses can also be a cause of nightmares.

Taking medication

Nightmares are a side effect of many medicines, especially medicationsthat affect the nervous system and on a psychological level. These include certain sleeping pills, antidepressants, some blood pressure and cholesterol-lowering medications, and medications for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. If you are taking medication and suffer from nightmares, you should speak to your doctor directly and not stop taking the medication on your own.

5. Are nightmares dangerous?

Whether you're flying or falling into a black hole, nightmares are generally not life-threatening. During REM sleep, the body is in sleep paralysis, meaning that movements in the dream world are not actively performed. If nightmares occur repeatedly, they can lead to sleep deprivation and mental discomfort. They can also cause stress and worry beyond the night itself. Last but not least, many people search for the meaning of their dreams and sometimes lose themselves in details that the brain arbitrarily extracts from the memory If you suffer from nightmares more than three times a week and over an extended period of time, you should consult a doctor or therapist.

6. What can you do about nightmares?

Dreams play an important role in the Memory formation, which is why you can't do without them entirely. To prevent the frequent occurrence of stressful nightmares or waking up immediately during or after a nightmare, the primary goal is to reduce stress and achieve mental balance. Those who experience many stressful events during the day are likely to process them immediately the following night.

Psychotherapeutic methods are also most suitable, as dreaming ultimately takes place in the brain and is closely linked to the emotional system. Anyone suffering from traumatic or psychological stress should definitely seek professional help and process their experiences therapeutically.

One of the best-known methods for processing anxiety and nightmares is imagery rehearsel therapy. This involves vividly re-imagining the events and attempting to give the story a logical twist so that the dream has a happy ending and the threat is averted. This type of coping strategy is also recommended by the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (DGSM) for treating nightmares. It consists of three steps: confrontation, coping, and practicing the new strategy.

1. Confrontation: Write or record the dream experience in detail, for example in the form of a dream diary.
2. Coping: Choose a dream and try to find an active solution to the situation you're experiencing. Think of a new strategy that will allow you to actively avert the danger/fear/threat. Escape or avoidance strategies like running away or waking up aren't ideal, as they only allow you to avoid the problem. Once you've created a picture, it's best to draw what might help you.
3. Practice the new strategy: Visualize the chosen dream and the new strategy every day. Practice it over a period of about two weeks so that you internalize the solution and end the internal conflict that triggered your nightmare.

7. Conclusion

• Nightmares are distressing dreams that are accompanied by negative feelings and lead to awakening from sleep.

• Nightmares could serve as a kind of training for dealing with inner conflicts and processing emotions.

• To prevent nightmares, you can reduce stress and process them with a confrontational coping strategy (also known as imagery rehearsal therapy).

Best wishes and see you soon!