What are some great ways to keep nightmares away?

Good idea

go to sleep earlier and get a dream catcher, they dont work but cos your mind is convinced they do u dont get nightmares:)

Don’t watch any scary movies or read scary books just before bedtime.

I heard not having any sugar a few hours before bed helps. Watch funny things before bed. I think getting yourself used to violence might not be a good idea… it doesn’t sound right to me, anyway.

I’m the type of person who prefers those things to the other stuff, so that won’t work for me. But thanks anyways.

Hmm, ok, I’ll try watching something funny before bed, that may work well. I don’t eat much sugar as it is, so I’m good there. Thanks. =)

really? ive been playing games and watching scary movies for a long time and now when i get attacked by zombies or get eaten alive by a dragon, its more cool than scary to me. maybe u need to be weird like me.

I am weird like you. =P My dreams of zombie attacks and monsters are awesome. The dreams I’m having lately aren’t really like that. They’re about family and my boyfriend, and just bad things happening to them and to me by them.

Are you on any new medications? I recently went on Nucyinta, and it gives me horrible, horrible nightmares that feel incredibly real. It’s a terrible experience, and I reccommend switching medications if you think that something you’re taking is causing it. Otherwise, you can go to a doctor, explain that you’re having trouble sleeping, and ask to try something that will help. Sleeping pills or sedatives aren’t good to use long-term, because they can deprive you of the REM sleep that your body needs to be well-rested. But they can ease you into the transition by giving you dreamless sleep for a while.

Also, some stuff that we think of “harmless” can cause some people to have nightmares or trouble sleeping, like caffeine or other foods. Try switching up your diet and see if that helps. :)

Make sure not to watch or read anything scary or disturbing before bed, because you will end up replaying it in your head before and during sleep. This includes TV, books, video games, even news articles. Try doing something soothing before bed, like reading a favorite book, taking a bath/shower, meditating, whatever.

If you’re able to, try decorating your room a bit. It doesn’t have to be major, just add some personal touches like a night light, some colorful curtains/tapestries/pictures/posters, whatever you want. Make your room look friendly and bright instead of strange and scary. If you can, try to sleep with a light on- not bright light, but something like a reading lamp or night light. I hate waking up in the dark after a nightmare, or going to sleep when it’s pitch black, so I like to keep the bathroom light on at night. It gives everything a warm, comforting glow.

And a last tip- try starting a dream journal. Keep a notebook or journal by your bed, and when you wake up, write down everything you can remember about your dreams and nightmares- every little detail. This may help you feel better, because you’ll recognize that some of those nightmares could never actually happen in real life.

After you’ve written everything down, go over the entry with a highliter. Highlight every unusual detail, such as things that defy the laws of physics or things that just don’t make sense. Sometimes dreams skip from one scene to another with no explanation- make note of this.

If you do this for long enough, you will eventually be able to recognize when you are dreaming- while you are asleep! This is called “lucid dreaming”. For some people it comes easily and naturally, but for others, it can take some time. For me, it took only a couple of nights. But be patient with yourself- everyone can do it.

Once you get a handle on the experience of knowing when you are dreaming, you can almost always change the course of your dream, or if you prefer, wake yourself up. I can almost never wake myself up, but I can change things in my dream. I can give myself magic powers to slow down someone who is chasing me, or make myself fly. I can surround myself in a protective bubble so no one can hurt me.

I can even change my surroundings- if I’m in a dark tunnel, I can get out and go into a beautiful garden. Sometimes I can also make other people appear, like friends or characters from a book, or make my enemies disappear. Once you get the hang of it, dreaming can be pleasant and even fun. :) And really, everyone can do it! It just takes time and practice.

Dreams about your friends or family can be harder to control- I get those too. But it’s not impossible, you can still teach yourself to notice weird details or things that don’t make sense. Once you can do that, it’s easier to wake yourself up or change the dream. It’s weird because sometimes dreams still feel “real” when you know they aren’t. (I find it hard to remember my “real life” while I’m dreaming- it’s like the dream has become my life. But even still, I can change things.) Keep trying, and you’ll get the hang of it.