Nightmares: what they are, why we do them and what is the meaning of the most common recurring nightmares
Like the dream, the nightmare is a physiological and psychological reaction that appears during the paradoxical phase of sleep. The term "nightmare" derives from in "above" and cubare "to lie": in fact we are dealing with morbid and distressing dreams whose main characteristic is the perception of an imaginary weight on the chest.
Sometimes nightmares can become recurrent, and in order not to dream them again we would do everything to not fall asleep, reducing ourselves just like this:
Nightmares: what they are and why we do them
Nightmares translate a "distress, a recent fear, a dysfunction and stage, in most cases, a real life event. They can also refer to distant memories, which go back many months or years. After a nightmare. , you wake up with a feeling of discomfort, with your heart beating at a thousand per hour, sweaty, frightened or disoriented. And we women, above all, need to sleep ...
Some also happen to have post-traumatic nightmares, following an accident, a war, a suicide ... In this case, they become much more recurrent. Sometimes, nightmares can also be caused by illness, chronic pain, or simply poor digestion.
In all cases, these dreams provide us with information about our unconscious. However, everyone has their own sensitivity: certain nightmares will be distressing for some people and just a little unpleasant for others ...
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Why do children have more nightmares?
It is proven that children have more nightmares than adults. The reason is simple: a baby, who has just come into the world, is constantly assaulted by new images, by sensations, smells, sounds that cause him strong sensations.
The baby eliminates this excess of information, which the brain has accumulated during the day, only during the moment of sleep. Often, the main childhood nightmare remains that of abandonment by the mother, which is linked to the trauma of being left behind. kindergarten in the morning, for example.
Up to the age of 5, the child often dreams of ghosts, dragons, chases, characters he has seen on television or in books. Some children also dream of arguing with brothers, sisters or parents. This is because he is not yet able to tell when he is afraid, and they have a hard time expressing what he is feeling. But over time the child learns to express his emotions, to talk about them, and he will have fewer and fewer nightmares.
Is it possible to get rid of a recurring nightmare?
When a nightmare becomes recurring, it can upset you, not only during sleep, but also when awake. In this case, rather than ignore it, tackle the problem, so that the nightmare becomes a less threatening dream.
Some psychologists explain that the treatment of nightmares allows you to overcome your fears and facilitates psychological evolution. The best known method of doing this is to write or visualize your nightmare before falling asleep, inventing another scenario. imagination for many nights in a row, the nightmare will slowly change, and will eventually have a more positive ending.
Another possibility: if you have the opportunity to have a "lucid" nightmare, that is, if you are able to wake up realizing that you are dreaming, it is possible to change the actions, ask questions about the reason for this dream and modify it.
The meaning of the most common and recurrent nightmares
Here are some of the most common nightmares and their meaning:
- death, illness and accidents: initially, it could make you think of a premonitory dream: a person announces to you that he is suffering from an incurable disease, you learn about the death of a member of your family or you have a serious car accident. .. this type of nightmare simply reflects the fact that you worry about one or more people who are not well at that moment. Your unconscious, then, imagine the worst ... which will not inevitably happen, do not worry! Even dreaming of saying goodbye to deceased people is painful, even if the anguish subsides when you wake up. And if you dream of your death, it may be a change in the situation in your existence, the end of a difficult period.
- persecution: do you dream of being followed by an individual or a wild animal without being able to advance or escape it? It can mean that you are trying to escape from someone or something that is asking to be recognized. To get out of it, you have to try to understand what it is and possibly solve a problem that belongs to real life.
- a collapsing house: it can translate a lack of stability and a difficulty "to stand up". This nightmare is common in depressed people.
- the monster (and other fictional characters): they are mostly found in children's nightmares. Therefore, they correspond to an imperceptible (violence, sexuality) and uncontrollable danger. Fear of the unknown, or of the chaos that could invade the world ...
- Vomiting: some dream of "emptying" by vomiting. This can mean that you can no longer stand a certain situation, or that you have difficulty dealing with a recurring and traumatizing problem, which literally devours your life energy and threatens your health.
To try to prevent nightmares, drink a nice herbal tea before going to bed, take a relaxing bath, or practice some yoga, it can help you relax and sleep more peacefully!
