What is nightmare

Some kids "rewrite" their nightmares by giving them happier outcomes. Another trick is to draw a picture of the bad dream and then rip it up! Sometimes it helps to keep a dream journal, a notebook in which you describe the dreams you can recall. Tracking your dreams — good and bad — and how you felt before you went to sleep can give you a better sense of how your mind works at night.

If you have nightmares a lot, you and your parent might want to see a counselor or a psychologist to help you deal with your bad dreams.

It will give you a chance to talk about some of the things bothering you that may be related to your nightmares. Rarely, kids with frequent nightmares may need to visit a doctor who can see if the nightmares are because of a physical condition. Remember, nightmares are not real and they can't hurt you. Dreaming about something scary does not mean it will happen in real life. And it doesn't mean you're a bad person who wants to do mean or scary things.

Everyone has nightmares now and then. You aren't a baby if you feel afraid after a nightmare. If you need to snuggle with a parent or even a sister or brother, that's all right.

Sometimes just talking to a parent or grabbing a quick hug may be all you need. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size.

What Is a Nightmare? Why Do I Get Nightmares? After that time, nightmares usually decrease. Some children continue to have nightmares as teens and adults. This may be a lifelong problem for these individuals. Nightmares tend to become less frequent and intense as you age. Women tend to report nightmares more often than men but are also more open to discussing their dreams and nightmares.

These episodes cause you to wake up disoriented from slow-wave sleep or deep sleep in intense fear with your heart racing. Night terrors may cause you to scream, kick, thrash or bolt out of bed. Night terrors tend to occur in the first third of the night. A potentially dangerous sleep disorder that causes you to act out vivid dreams as you sleep. The dreams are usually filled with action and may even be violent. Because these actions may result in injury to yourself or your partner, REM sleep behavior disorder is considered a dangerous condition that requires medical attention.

This disorder is most common in middle-aged men. If you think you may have nightmare disorder, ask yourself the following questions:. If you answered yes to these questions, you should talk to your doctor or see a sleep doctor.

A sleep doctor is trained to accurately diagnose nightmare disorder and rule out any possible underlying causes or complications. The doctor will need to know when you first started having nightmares, how often they occur and the content of the nightmares.

Your complete medical history, as well as any past or present drug and medication use, will help the doctor make a diagnosis. Tell the doctor if you have ever had any other sleep disorder, or if any of your family members have sleep problems. You may be required to keep a sleep diary for two weeks. The sleep diary will help the doctor look at your sleep patterns.

This data will give the doctor clues about what is causing your problem and how to correct it. In most cases, you will not need any tests for nightmares.

If your sleep is severely disturbed, or if the doctor suspects there are underlying problems, you may need to have a sleep study. In most cases, treatment for nightmares is not necessary. For patients who have nightmare disorder and experience severe sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness, treatment by a behavioral sleep medicine specialist is recommended. Counseling — A therapist can help you address some of the underlying causes of your nightmares.

This will require processing your thoughts and feelings. Accessed April 6, Nightmare disorder. American Psychiatric Association; Kotagal S. Parasomnias of childhood, including sleepwalking. Mayo Clinic; Merck Manual Professional Version.

Morgenthaler TI, et al. Position paper for the treatment of nightmare disorder in adults: An American Academy of sleep medicine position paper. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Gieselmann A, et al. Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives. Journal of Sleep Research. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Olson EJ expert opinion.