Why you have nightmares (and what you can do about it)

Why you have nightmares (and what you can do about it) - You come home tired from school or work, eat something, take a shower and go to bed. But what should be a refreshing night's sleep turns into a nightmare. You dream that someone has died, that terrible creatures are haunting you, and various other things that look like they've come out of a horror movie.

Why do we have so many nightmares? Is it possible to do something to prevent them from happening? Find out the answer to these and other questions in this gallery.

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Good morning - Nothing like waking up in the morning and starting the day after a good night's sleep.

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Are you sure your night was that good? - For many people, sleeping is synonymous with nightmares.

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Inspiration? - Though not everyone seems to be affected by bad dreams. Alice Cooper, for example, recorded an album called 'Welcome to My Nightmare.'

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Creatures -

Terrible creatures never seem to have scared the pop star Michael Jackson either. Who doesn't remember his classic and horrifying music video 'Thriller?'

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Fear - But this is not the case for most people. After all, who has never had a nightmare involving a creepy creature from a horror movie?

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Premonition? - Who never regretted having watched that intense scene on a TV show before going to bed? Or had a horrible dream about the death of a relative?

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Why? - But what are the possible explanations for these horror films that go through our minds while we're asleep?

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Science - According to scientists, nightmares usually happen at the deepest stage of our sleep. This phase is known as REM and lasts about half an hour, and can be repeated on average up to 6 times a night.

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Research - According to a 2014 study conducted by the University of Montreal in Canada, one of the most recurring themes of nightmares is physical aggression.

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Thematic content of nightmares - According to the same study, themes such as death, threats, and health concerns, were also predominant in the reports.

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Repressed feelings - In another study, researcher Gary Fireman stated that nightmares are ways of expressing emotions that we are unable to express when we're awake.

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Recurring nightmares -

Do you remember having the same nightmare more than once?

According to Gary Fireman's theory, this phenomenon is due to repressed desires and frustrations, which are stored in our subconscious.

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Alert - Having the same nightmare over and over again may be a way of your subconscious mind drawing your attention to a particular issue.

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Inventive brain - We know that the brain is capable of creating a lot of activity while we're asleep. But is there anything we can do to stop having nightmares?

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Prevention? - The answer is no, but there are a number of habits that can improve the quality of your sleep and consequently contributing to you having less nightmares.

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Tip 1 - Try to avoid stressing out too much, as you tend to bring your problems to bed with you.

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Tip 2 - Getting anxious the night before an important event can literally turn into a nightmare, so try to relax as much as possible.

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Tip 3 - If you have had some sort of trauma and this is the most recurrent theme of your nightmares, it is advisable to seek professional help.

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Tip 4 - Some medications can also contribute to having nightmares. Remember that any medication should only be taken if prescribed by a doctor.

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Tip 5 - Do you know that horror show you love to watch before bed? It may be one of the reasons why you have nightmares. How about trying to watch another genre and see if it makes a difference to your sleep?

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Tip 6 - Alcohol abuse, as well as disrupting your sleep, can also give you nightmares.

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Good night -

We hope these tips have been helpful and we wish you a great night's sleep!

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