Anatomy of the Nightmare

This is a guest contribution from Lisa Smalls.

I lost someone close to me to a care accident when I was 17. Now at that age, we have this coping mechanism called youth. We think ourselves so indestructible during waking moments, we can trick ourselves into forgetting the bad thing happened.

But your mind handles shock and loss differently when we sleep. Often stress, depression and sorrow come out in dreams. Thankfully my recurring dream was a gentle one, where the kind boy would cross space and time to reassure me, “Everything is gonna be OK.”

WHAT IS A NIGHTMARE?

That’s a dream. A nightmare is a realistic, distressing dream that wakes us from a deep sleep—REM (rapid eye movement) sleep to be exact.

You could be Lady Gaga dreaming that a blond woman wearing Gaga’s shoes is tied up by all four limbs and slowly being pulled apart. What about the one where you forgot you had registered for an anthropology class and only remember in time to take the final, completely unprepared.

In other words, a nightmare is a disturbingly vivid dream that feels real. They often feature a threat to your own life that can wake you out of your slumber. Your heart will race and you make wake up sweating or crying. You will feel strong emotions in the aftermath of a nightmare—fear, anxiety, anger, sadness. With all of that rolling around in your head and body, you will find it hard to fall back to sleep.

WHAT CAUSES A NIGHTMARE?

People of all ages have nightmares, and occasional bad dreams are nothing to worry over. Research discussed by the Mayo Clinic shows that children might be as young as 3-6 years of age when they have one, but often the frequency will decrease after age 10.

Other trauma or disorders can trigger nightmares. Anxiety and depression can cause adult nightmares. One of the main symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are chronic, recurrent nightmares. Certain sleep disorders in adults, like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, can bring on nightmares.

WHAT IS YOUR BRAIN DOING DURING A NIGHTMARE?

Parts of your brain are in overdrive, while other parts are resting. That’s why we have dreams during our REM sleep. During REM sleep, our memories collide and come together as we sit on the border between sleep and waking. Straddling that line is also why we often remember the nightmares.

According to Harvard scientists, the part of the brain that identifies threats—the amygdala—may also be working too hard during a nightmare. Again, the stress your body believes it is facing will prevent your from getting good sleep.

WHAT DO YOUR NIGHTMARES MEAN?

No one is completely sure, but it is fairly safe to say that anthropology final dream could be your subconscious worrying about being unprepared. Some other common themes are:

• Falling. You might be feeling powerless.
• Monsters as nightmare co-stars. Maybe your life feels out of your control.
• Drowning. Perhaps emotions are overwhelming you.
• Dying. A new beginning or a big change in life.

FALLING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER A NIGHTMARE

The one thing nightmares do mean for everyone is the potential to rob us of much-needed sleep. But how to fall back asleep when your mind is full of bad thoughts and images? To cope and fall back asleep, you can try to distract yourself from it by leaving your room, turning on some music or cuddling with your pet. You can cover your clock. Watching the minutes you should be sleeping tick away will only increase your stress. Mindful meditation will also relax you and help make you drowsy enough to sleep.

You’re more likely to have a nightmare if you’re sleep deprived. So ignoring your chaotic bedroom or old mattress won’t help you avoid the boogeyman visiting your dreams. If your mattress is bowing in the middle or more than eight years old, you will need a new one.

You’re also more likely to be sleep deprived if you suffer aches and pains that have you tossing and turning at night. If you keep all your tension in your back like so many people, just know that you can find a mattress that is built specifically to ease back pain and tension.

Try to get as much sleep as you can. Your body and mind will recharge like they’re meant to. And that’ll make you less likely to carry your stress and problems back into your dreams at night.

About the Contributor

Lisa is a freelance writer from North Carolina. When she isn’t writing, you can find her at the latest horror film to hit theatres or playing with her pup.