6 Unexpected Causes of Nightmares and How to Prevent Them

We all know what a nightmare is. The bothersome, terrifying, and dysfunctional dreams can have a profoundly pervasive effect on our emotions, ripping us out of sleep. 

 

Believe it or not, adult nightmares are rather rare; they’re a lot more common in kids. Adult nightmares can be caused by a variety of rather unexpected habits, as well as medications or underlying health conditions. We go through the 6 most common causes of bad dreams and how to remedy them. 

 

Alcohol

Drinking a few glasses of wine may make you sleepy, so you may believe that having a night out with drinks will only help your sleep. In reality, alcohol affects our sleep in a more complicated manner - at first, it will help you sleep deeper, but when blood alcohol levels start dropping, they make you a lighter sleeper. 

 

Additionally, alcohol may increase the time of rapid eye movement sleep (REM). During this sleep cycle, vivid dreams and nightmares are much likelier. This way, consuming alcohol can contribute to nightmares.  

 

The solution: Avoid drinking too much alcohol - keep the quantity to a glass or two of wine or one strong drink. In addition, make sure to wait at least 3-4 hours before going to bed.  

 

Late-evening snacks

Digestion is hard work for the body, and this can clash with your body’s resting cycles. “This is because your body will be working hard to break down food and will send signals to your brain to be more active, which may trigger nightmares,” said Phil Lawlor, a sleep expert, to the Huffington Post. 

 

Any type of snack can lead to nightmares, but spicy and sweet foods have a higher risk of causing sleep problems. The same types of foods are also more likely to contribute to acid reflux, which can also interrupt your sleep.  

 

The solution: If you can, avoid eating 2-3 hours before bed. But if you’re a habitual evening snacker, keep nighttime snacks small and choose foods and drinks known to promote sleep, such as chamomile tea, turkey, chicken, or a handful of nuts and seeds.  

 

Stress and anxiety

Traumatic life events - both serious ones like a bad day at work or a major one like a car accident - increase your stress levels and promote worries, which often seep into your dreams too, provoking night terrors. The fear and stress may feel so overwhelming that you end up having nightmares. 

 

This falls in line with scientific observations stating that people suffering from anxiety and persistent stress are predisposed to nightmare disorder, a condition where nightmares “happen often, cause distress, disrupt sleep, cause problems with daytime functioning or create fear of going to sleep,” according to the Mayo Clinic. 

 

The solution: The good news is that these types of bad dreams tend to go away. Avoid scary or stress-inducing content before going to sleep. This means no scary books, horror movies, or news. 

 

To reduce dress levels right before bed, dedicate the time before bed (or any other free time available) to relax. Take a relaxing bath, a walk, meditate, listen to relaxing music, or do light yoga. 

 

Medications and nutritional supplements

Although scientists aren’t exactly sure how medications can cause nightmares, it’s not uncommon for drugs like antidepressants, blood pressure medications, Parkinson’s disease medications, beta-blockers, and medications used to help people quit smoking can all make you have more bad dreams. If you take melatonin to fall asleep, be mindful that this supplement can also trigger night terrors. 

 

The solution: When it comes to medications and supplements, things can get tricky, as you may need these medications to manage your health. Therefore, it’s safest to discuss your concerns with your doctor and ask if you have any alternatives that wouldn’t trigger nightmares.  

 

Mental health conditions

Nightmares are a known symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD sufferers frequently experience vibrant nightmares in which they relive the traumatic events that cause the condition. But patients who suffer from other mental health disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety are more likely to have bad dreams as well. 

 

The solution: Treating the mental health disorder is the best way to make the nightmares go away too. Also, remember that sleep deprivation itself can lead to nightmares. Try and get enough sleep, and the bad dreams may become less frequent or go away altogether. 

 

Sleeping on the back  

Sleeping on your back has many advantages: fewer wrinkles and less back pain, to name just a few. Unfortunately, this sleeping position also has some disadvantages, among which is a higher chance of bad dreams. Research suggests that back sleepers are more likely to experience breathing difficulties, which can cause nightmares of suffocating, being chased, or drowning. 

 

The solution: Try changing your sleeping position. Experts recommend sleeping on your right side. It’s fine if you change sleep positions during the night, but try to sleep on the right side as often as you can. 

 

Here are a few more tips to help you cope with a nightmare: 

 

1. Recognize the nightmare and stop it. 

When you’re having an unpleasant dream, look around at any mirrors or clocks. In a dream, they often look strange. You can also try to pinch your nose or scratch your skin. If you can’t feel anything, you’re dreaming. 

 

Once you recognize that you’re dreaming, you can wake yourself up. Alternatively, you can try and change the ending of your dream on your own. 

 

2. Start a dream journal. 

A dream diary can help you understand how your dreams are influencing you. Keep the journal on your bedside table, and write down all of your dreams - both good and bad - first thing in the morning. You can keep track of your total sleep time. Review the journal from time to time and try to understand why they’re causing you discomfort. 

 

When should you see a doctor? The occasional nightmare is no cause for concern, but recurrent night terrors can be a symptom of Nightmare Disorder or even an underlying brain condition, such as Alzheimer’s disease. See your doctor if you’re experiencing any of the following signs: 

 

1. You experience nightmares more than once a week. 

2. The bad dreams upset your mood, sleep, or day-to-day activities. 

3. You started having nightmares once you started a new medication.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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It Turns Out Probiotics Can Only Treat Certain Conditions

Over the last few years, probiotics have become immensely popular and are being used by millions of health-conscious people all over the world. Probiotics are specific live microorganisms (such as bacteria and yeasts) that are supposed to be good for our bodies when eaten, especially for our digestive system. The health benefits of probiotics are presumably many: weight loss, digestive health, healthier skin, immune function betterment, and even improvement of some mental health conditions.

As more and more studies have cropped up about the numerous health benefits of probiotics, people have begun taking it regularly in pill form, or by eating more fermented foods like yogurt, and other food products.

However, before being completely smitten with the idea of the health benefits of probiotics, we should be a little cautious. According to new guidelines released by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), there isn’t sufficient evidence to support the recommendation of using probiotics for treating most digestive diseases. 

 

“While our guideline does highlight a few use cases for probiotics, it, more importantly, underscores that the public’s assumptions about the benefits of probiotics are not well-founded, and there is also a major variation in results based on the formulation of the probiotic product,” said guideline panel chair Dr. Grace L. Su, a gastroenterologist at the University of Michigan, in a press release recently.

New guidelines say that probiotics are beneficial for only particular conditions

You might be aware that probiotic pills are available by prescription in certain places and are also available over the counter in many countries. As the popularity of probiotics has surged, many companies are marketing them as dietary supplements. In countries like the USA, these companies don’t even need preapproval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market them. However, they cannot make any health claims about these products. 

 

It is true that probiotics can indeed be pretty helpful. When we think of bacteria, we instantly imagine harmful germs. However, the stomach and intestines are comprised of millions of helpful bacteria and yeasts. The human gut consists of about 300 to 500 different bacterial species that engage in intricate ways with the body and with each other.

Now, the latest review by the AGA has claimed that probiotics may be helpful with some gut-related issues. For instance, some probiotics may be beneficial for preterm, low-birthweight infants. The review states that they can help shorten the number of days infants will have to stay at the hospital. Furthermore, certain probiotics can lower the risk of Clostridium difficile (a bacteria that causes inflammation of the colon) infection in adults and children who take antibiotics. The review further stated that some probiotics can be useful in helping manage pouchitis – a swelling of the ileal pouch in patients who have undergone a colectomy as a result of ulcerative colitis. 

 

Despite these benefits, however, it would be unwise to treat probiotics as some wonder cure for many of our digestive health issues. The AGA has observed that there is a clear lack of evidence to support the use of probiotics for other health conditions. 

 

“Patients taking probiotics for Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis or [irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)] should consider stopping,” said Su in the news release. “The supplements can be costly and there isn’t enough evidence to prove a benefit or confirm lack of harm.” The review also found that probiotics aren’t useful for children with infectious diarrhea.

The effectiveness of probiotics may vary from patient to patient

According to a study that was published in the Journal of Family Practice, the benefits of probiotics depend on the strain, dosage, and condition being treated. The paper was written by Dr. Daniel J. Merenstein, a professor of family medicine at Georgetown University, and his colleagues. 

 

“Just as we know that not all antibiotics are equally effective for all infections, so, too, effectiveness among probiotics can — and often does — vary for any given condition,” they wrote. They also state that the effectiveness of the probiotics may vary from patient to patient. 

 

Merenstein and his colleagues advise that physicians recommending probiotics for their patients should first look for scientific evidence for which one to use. According to them, simply advising that patients take probiotics isn’t really helpful when that person might be looking for a product that may help them with a specific condition.

Probiotics are mostly safe. However, they can cause harm to live bacteria in some cases. This can be particularly true for people with an unsettled immune system. Many people also use probiotics for improving the health of their gut. However, such a diet can alter the structure of the gut microbe at times. In fact, anyone with any health condition should first consult a doctor before blindly taking probiotics. 

 

Thus, be careful and prudent while taking probiotics. In general, health experts recommend following a low-fat and high-fiber diet to always keep your digestive system healthy.


This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement