When nightmares accumulate, turn into a psychological strain and cause sleep disturbances they might interfere with health. If you are suffering under nightmares for at least once a week over a period of about six months you might suffer under a nightmare-disorder. In this case you should take action and do something against it.
People concerned often delay going to bed, although they are tired. They are scared of having a nightmare again. But, too few sleep has several negative effects: lack of concentration, decreased performance, irritability and might even be cause for diseases like cardiovascular disorders or Alzheimer’s. Often, nightmares are a side effect of a mental disease like anxiety disorders or depressions, for example. Nevertheless, they are a disease pattern by itself.
Treatment options:
- Self-help
When suffering under consistent nightmares, a simple self-help often is helpful. This self-help comprises three levels:
- confrontation
- accomplishment and
- training
In this method people concerned write down their nightmare to deal with it. Afterwards, they try to find out what might make the situation less frightful. If one gets chased, for example, it might be an active approach to turn around and to address the chaser. The aim is to actively do something and to get out of the feeling of helplessness. In the next step, people concerned imagine the situation five to ten minutes per day – every day for about two weeks. If this self-help is not successful the Imagery-Rehearsal-Therapy (IRT) might be.
- Imagery-Rehearsal-Therapy (IRT)
The IRT often is used to treat a nightmare disorder. Here, the patient notes his nightmare and together with the therapist he works out the frightening features. These features become substituted by less emotional alternatives. An example: replace a dark street with a well lit street or a suspected pursuer after all goes into another direction.
The patient writes down the new version of the dream and imagines this version several times per day for two weeks. Like this, the new imagination should transfer into the nightmare. But, it happens very rarely that the patient is dreaming the new version in detail and is remembering it. But, the initial nightmare is not occurring as often as before and if so, only a weakened version of it.
- Lucid dreaming
It takes some time to learn how to do “lucid dreaming”. With this method people concerned know that they are dreaming and that they are free to act in their dream. So, people concerned are able to directly influence their own nightmare. There are different techniques to learn lucid dreaming. For example: interested people might ask themselves several times during the day: “Am I awake or am I dreaming?” Due to the frequent repetition the question becomes routine and finally can be asked during a nightmare, as well.