Do you know how to go back to sleep after a nightmare? Nightmares are very vivid and frightening dreams that occur during rapid eye movement or the REM stage of sleep. Although most common in children, nightmares can happen to anyone and in many cases can disrupt sleep. If you’ve had a nightmare or recurring nightmares that woke you up, you may have trouble falling back asleep or getting the images out of your mind. If you learn how to sleep after a bad dream, you can fall asleep more quickly and dismiss more unpleasant dreams by relaxing and actively coping with your nightmares.
People can’t sleep after having nightmares because they’re afraid and think they’d be seeing it again. And they don’t know how to go back to sleep after nightmare. After reading this article you will learn how to go back to sleep after a bad dream.
What To Do After A Nightmare
Contrary to popular belief, it is not difficult going back to sleep after a nightmare. If you follow the below, you can not worry about what to do after waking up from a nightmare.
1. Relax Your Body
In most cases, a person wakes up suddenly due to a nightmare. This sudden shock of fear can cause your heart rate to rise. By stretching and relaxing your muscles, you can bring your heart rate back to normal and fall asleep easily.
2. Keep A Dream Diary
The best answer to the question of what to do after a nightmare is to keep a dream diary. You may find that keeping a dream journal can help you learn about the source of your nightmares. Every time you wake up from a nightmare, write down what is causing your sleep disruption and other factors, such as diet or alcohol, that may exacerbate scary dreams.
Thanks to using the Dreambook App, the online dream diary, over time, you may notice patterns that can help you take concrete steps to reduce or prevent nightmares. It also helps to clarify the distinction between real life and dream life.
3. Practice Breathing Techniques
How to fall asleep after a nightmare? Typically, when you first wake up from a nightmare, you are filled with fear. Your heart is beating fast, you are breathing heavily and you are full of adrenaline. You will need to slow down and regain control of your breathing to calm yourself and prepare for sleep.
It would be good to know a few breathing techniques. So you can practice them whenever you need to slow your breathing and relax. Taking calm, deep breaths is the greatest way to relax. This step allows you to fall asleep faster.
4. Ignore The Clock
Watching the passage of time can increase the physical and emotional distress caused by your nightmare. If you can avoid it, don’t watch your watch and you may feel that you can relax more easily and return to a peaceful sleep.
5. Calm Yourself With Meditation
In addition to a higher heart rate, you may also be experiencing rapid breathing and anxiety as a result of the nightmare. Meditation can help lower your heart rate, normalize your breathing, reduce anxiety, and increase relaxation. Meditating for a few minutes can help your body calm down and fall asleep quickly and easily.
Now you have learned how to sleep after a bad dream. You can follow these steps every time you have a bad dream and keep a dream diary to prevent you from having nightmares. Sleep well!
Keep a dream journal with Dreambook App, and access your journal wherever you want, whenever you please. In the app, you can categorize your dreams, track the patterns and explore the magical world of your dreams.
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It was hard for me to go back to sleep after a nightmare. Then, I started to keep a dream diary. I write my feelings about it and other sleep distributions for me. Over time, it helped me to understand my dreams. It is really useful. Thank you.