Nightmares and how to get rid of panic attacks at night

Nightmares are one of the sleep disorders ( parasomnias ) and are associated with a disorder in the functioning of the REM sleep phase. After waking up in the morning or at night, a person not only suffers from an unpleasant aftertaste after a nightmare, but also a feeling of fatigue, drowsiness, i.e. the feeling of “not getting enough sleep.” Later, if such dreams do not stop, the person begins to experience fear before going to bed.

Nightmares can occur with severe fatigue and overwork , after psychological trauma or against the background of a prolonged stressful situation , in an unventilated room, etc.

But sometimes nightmares can be present in patients with diseases such as intoxication, runny nose, bronchitis, sore throat, hypoxia conditions that are observed in various diseases, as well as outside of illness - when, for example, while sleeping you lie with your nose in the pillow.

List of reasons

Attacks of uncontrollable fear can be triggered by various reasons: the occurrence of frequent stressful situations, anticipation of a difficult or dangerous event, such as surgery.

The first group of factors are previous diseases or certain conditions:

• cardiac ischemia;
• myocardial infarction;
• difficult pregnancy or childbirth;
• the beginning of sexual activity or, conversely, menopause;
• hyperthyroidism;
• taking certain groups of medications.

The second group of factors are mental disorders:

1. Depression.
2. Phobias.
3. Schizophrenia or schizotypal conditions.
4. Post-traumatic pathologies.
5. OCD is a disorder characterized by the constant presence of fear.

Consequences of constant panic in sleep

What do constant panic attacks in sleep lead to?

• Frequent headaches and muscle discomfort
• Decreased performance
• Feeling of constant weakness, weakness
• Fear of falling asleep due to another panic attack, which develops into long-term insomnia.
• Risk of developing anxiety and depressive disorders
• Instability of emotions, explosiveness.
• Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which manifests itself as high blood pressure and palpitations

With these symptoms, a person comes to doctors of other specialties: therapists, neurologists, cardiologists, etc. Unaware of possible panic attacks, the doctor sees a manifestation of somatic pathology and prescribes appropriate treatment. But this has no effect, since the panic disorder and the psychological problem that led to its occurrence remain.

Why does panic happen at night?

Nighttime panic attacks occur because the environment itself contributes to it. Silence and darkness can give rise to ominous images outside the window or in unlit corners that encourage panic. In the evening, the events of the past day are usually analyzed. If they are far from joyful, then the nervous system becomes overexcited and generates an anxious state, which is not far from a panic attack.

Even experts cannot name the exact causes of panic attacks in a dream. We can only name the factors that provoke attacks of fear and panic at night:

• severe stress and conflicts;
• mental and physical overstrain;
• excessive consumption of alcohol, drugs and strong coffee;
• experiences of childhood and psychological trauma suffered during this period;
• hormonal disruptions (puberty in adolescents, pregnancy and childbirth in women);
• brain injuries and diseases;
• general instability of the nervous system;
• characteristics of temperament - excessive suspiciousness, anxiety;
• genetic factor inherited from parents.

Of course, this list does not exhaust the reasons for panic attacks during sleep - they are often individual in nature.

Nightmares - reasons

• psychotraumatic situations;
• unresolved internal conflicts;
• complexes and subconscious fears;
• diseases accompanied by intoxication and fever;
• use of alcohol, drugs and psychostimulants;
• fatty, spicy or rich food before going to bed;
• chronic bodily diseases;
• physical and mental fatigue.

Typically, nightmares do not have a serious basis and do not require medical intervention. Psychologists and psychiatrists note that scary dreams serve as a nervous release. A person expresses his emotions in a dream: fear, anger, resentment. Sometimes nightmares can indicate a personal and spiritual crisis, a person’s transition to the next stage of development.

A depressed state, a field of nightmares, or the addition of other tormenting symptoms indicates the presence of a disease or mental disorder.

Classification of nightmares

There is no clear definition of the types of nightmares, but they can be roughly divided according to the internal fears and complexes to which they indicate.

Scary dream with stalking

Avoiding pursuit in a dream may indicate fear of an object, situation or person. This could be a boss, a rude neighbor, unbalanced household members. Sometimes such dreams indicate that a person expects consequences for his action. You did something for which your conscience torments you, and now you are experiencing the consequences of your action in a dream.

Nightmare with a trap

If you find yourself in a trap in a dream, this may indicate a difficult situation in life that you cannot resolve. Such a dream may also indicate a personality crisis, when a person cannot express himself or find his place in life. Dreams with a trap are often experienced by people with claustrophobia.

Who has nightmares?

Many people believe that nightmares are the prerogative of children. Statistics show that children in adolescence and adults experience fears during sleep. Moreover, 50% of adults experience terrible visions during sleep. It is estimated that between 2 and 8 percent of adults suffer from recurrent nightmares. For some it has become a chronic pathology.

During night vision, a person is visited by scary pictures, he experiences strong emotions that make the heart work 2-3 times faster. Sometimes the pictures are so vivid and real that a person wakes up and does not understand where is a dream and where is reality. Images remain in the memory for a long time, making a person shudder every time he remembers.

This leads to mental breakdowns, stress, and physical fatigue.

Pass a medical examination

The cause of nightmares can be not only psychological difficulties, but also health problems. First of all, these are sleep disorders:

1. Apnea is when a person stops breathing during sleep.
2. Restless legs syndrome - cramps.

But there may be more serious reasons. Through nightmares, your body can send distress signals that something is wrong in the body.

Therefore, if you have not undergone a medical examination for a long time, then it is worth making an appointment with a therapist and taking a general blood test. Some medications can also cause nightmares.

If you are taking antidepressants or medications to normalize blood pressure, consult your doctor. You may need to choose other tablets.

A call from the past

If a person has had serious experiences in life, mental trauma, nightmares on this topic can haunt him all his life. In this case, it is better to contact a specialist - a psychologist. But you can try to cope on your own.

Past stresses are not just manifestations of the psyche, they literally sit in the body: therefore, in a dream, something shrinks inside, you wake up in sweat, feel cold or hot. You need to pay attention to all conditions: the “lump” that sits in the chest, the “slab” that presses on the head. You can work with sensations in the same way as with characters.

1. Remember the dream, catching the sensations and the place where they sit, without trying to drive them away, but on the contrary, strengthen these feelings . 2. Ask yourself: what is this? Listen to yourself and wait for an internal answer.3. Associations begin to emerge . Catch the most sudden and unexpected thoughts and images that appear, and you will get the answer. When insight occurs, a cry, a cry, or a sigh of relief may escape. The energy that appears will mean that you have been cleansed and the nightmare will recede.

How to reduce the likelihood of nightmares

Three main steps towards normalizing sleep:

• Identify the source of stress - it provokes frightening dreams and insomnia. If you correctly identify the main stress factor and learn to deal with anxiety, you can reduce the frequency of nightmares.
• People with depressive disorders are more likely than others to have nightmares. See a psychologist or psychotherapist who can help treat depression and normalize your sleep cycle.
• Do not take medications uncontrollably. Many sleeping pills, antidepressants, blood pressure and heart medications cause dreams with a negative plot. The doctor will adjust the dosage of the drug and, if necessary, replace it with another, less severe composition.

If you cannot overcome nightmares on your own, you need to consult a somnologist who will identify and eliminate the cause of negative dreams.

Drug therapy

The most commonly used drugs are sleeping pills, which help improve the quality of sleep and prolong it. This treatment method is most effective if nightmares are triggered by the use of psychoactive substances. The doctor may prescribe the following prescription medications:

• "Flunitrazepam";
• "Clomethiazole";
• "Phenobarbital";
• "Diphenhydramine";
• "Nitrazepam", etc.

There are contraindications, consultation with a specialist is necessary!

Prevention

There are no special measures to prevent nightmares. However, research shows that healthy, positive people rarely complain of any sleep problems. Doctors recommend a set of simple measures to prevent the occurrence of scary dreams:

• Compliance with the rituals of preparing for bed and preparing a comfortable place to rest;
• Maintaining normal physical activity throughout the day;
• Engaging in any hobby that requires increased concentration - drawing, assembling puzzles, knitting, etc.;
• The use of practices that allow you to find harmony with yourself, for example, yoga, simple or breathing exercises.

We must not forget that nightmares are the result of the activity of the subconscious. All visions that take place at night will not occur in reality. After waking up, you need to calm down and rationally approach the analysis of a bad dream. This approach will allow you to give up further worries about this and will be an excellent prevention of the occurrence of new disturbing dreams.

At-risk groups

A sudden awakening, accompanied by strong irrational fear, is characteristic of suspicious and anxious people. Most often, the pathology occurs in children, adolescents and women. This is explained by the instability of the psychological background and hormonal changes.

If your child frequently has panic attacks during sleep, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Children cannot independently adequately assess their psychological well-being. Pathologies of the nervous system develop very quickly in them.

The following also help maintain your condition:

• cold and hot shower;
• swimming;
• good microclimate in the apartment (the room should be slightly cool before going to bed);
• high-quality, moderately hard mattress and comfortable pillow;
• going to bed no later than 23:00.

Contact a specialist

To get rid of nightmares you need to be treated under the supervision of a specialist. The problem is that most patients do not recognize this sleep disorder as a disease. Contacting a certified specialist with experience is the best and most effective way to combat insomnia and nightmares.

Symptoms that require contacting a psychotherapist or somnologist: - you experience great difficulty falling asleep.

- unable to sleep for more than 30 minutes, - waking up several times during the night and then unable to fall back to sleep, - repeated episodes of awakening from sleep accompanied by feelings of intense anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, disgust and other negative emotions associated with the content dreams - awakening occurs in “full combat readiness”, with a feeling of confusion of thoughts, the memory of the content of the dream immediately comes very clearly,

- the presence of a real event from their past, which carries negative emotions and echoes the content of the dream.

The meaning of nightmares

If you are sure that alcohol, psychotropic substances, medications, spicy and fatty foods, and other external irritants are not the cause of nightmares, then you need to take this phenomenon seriously and carefully analyze the plot of the nightmare. The symbols and images that frighten you so much in a dream can tell you a lot of useful information about the state of your physical and mental health, complexes and fears.

If you dream that:

• a dead person you know or don’t know wants to communicate with you or harm you , then your problem is that you cannot accept reality as it really is. You cannot understand that not everything in this world depends on people. Some losses just need to be recognized and accepted, since nothing can be changed. A nightmare in which you see a dead person also indicates that you are too worried about the future and forget to live in the present;

• you survived an apocalypse, a natural disaster, a natural disaster , then your brain is trying to warn you that you are spending too much time and energy on meaningless experiences. You constantly experience fear and anxiety, cannot relax and doubt your own abilities. Don't be afraid to ask other people for help, because there is nothing shameful in this;

• you are late somewhere or miss some important event for you , then there is too much fuss and anxiety in your real life. You have taken on too many worries and tasks that you do not have enough time, energy and ability to cope with;

• you are standing naked among clothed people , this indicates that you have problems with self-esteem. Very often, people who have low self-esteem, which they try to hide with the help of arrogance and arrogance, see just such nightmares. Individuals with low self-esteem are always silent and never express their own opinions, because they are afraid of seeming funny, stupid, or uneducated;

• you are dressed pretentiously, ridiculously, too extravagantly , then your subconscious is trying to warn you that the path of life you are currently following is completely unsuitable for you;

• your significant other refuses you , this indicates that in real life you are worried that you are not up to the level of your loved one, are afraid of being left completely alone, doubt the seriousness of your relationship, etc.;

• you find yourself in a trap, falling from somewhere or somewhere , then this suggests that in reality you are afraid that you will not be able to adequately deal with the unfavorable life situation in which you find yourself. Such nightmares are often experienced by people who cannot fully demonstrate their abilities and talents;

• someone is attacking or stalking you , then in reality you feel fear of someone or something: you had to deal with the rudeness of an inadequate neighbor, the rudeness of a constantly dissatisfied boss, the shamelessness of an insolent significant other who does not value you, the indifference of your own children etc. You are afraid that the situation will only get worse. You doubt that you can adequately respond to your opponent, so you prefer to take cover, hide, and run away from the problem;

• you were wounded, you are terminally ill or dying , this indicates that there is now a transition period in your life: you graduated from a higher educational institution and are looking for a job, changed your place of residence, got married, moved to the next step of spiritual growth, etc. d.

Prevention methods

The first and most important advice may seem banal: you should reconsider your values, try to perceive problems more simply, avoiding stress and unnecessary worries. Lifestyle is of great importance. People who eat right, don’t abuse alcohol, and play sports almost never have attacks.

Many people praise warm foot baths with lavender ether, as well as infusions of linden, mint and lemon balm with a little honey. You should definitely walk for at least 30–40 minutes before going to bed, trying not to skip walks in any weather. If possible, go on vacation at sea at least once a year. Such trips are especially important for children with an active psyche. And, of course, you shouldn’t overeat before going to bed. The body must recover without bothering with the work of digesting food. Such simple tips will definitely help you get rid of anxiety and make your life quality.

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How to get rid of sleep problems

Implementing sleep hygiene can help you get rid of frequent bad dreams. This is a set of principles, habits and attitudes that a person adheres to at night and shortly before its onset:

1. Go to bed at the same time - Setting a regular schedule helps you stay more focused.
2. Use the bedroom for its intended purpose - a person should associate a bedroom with relaxation. Not recommended: eating in bed, engaging in mental activity while lying down.
3. Avoid nervous tension before going to bed - the brain needs to be “tuned” to a good dream. There is no point in solving important issues or thinking about personal problems.

Formation of sleep hygiene is the basis of the fight against nightmares. Only by adhering to a certain schedule and habits can you begin to work more seriously with nighttime experiences.

Another useful habit is keeping a dream diary. It includes descriptions of not only nightmares, but also good, neutral visions. This helps to think about this or that plot, to understand what experiences it is caused by. Using a diary, the onset of negative dreams and their frequency are tracked.