Here’s how to avoid stressful dreams or recurrent nightmares when you sleep

After a long day at work or school, most of us look forward to a good night's sleep. And some even look to slumber as a way to escape from stressful situations at home. However, your snooze may turn into a nightmare if you have been having vivid dreams that have you waking up in a cold sweat. Read on to know about a few ways on how to avoid taxing or vivid dreams that leave you abruptly awake at night.

Many people tend to rush about the house completing the household chores and making their plans and lists for the next day before they promptly plonk down on the bed and expect to have a sound sleep. However, this is far from realistic as your mind is distracted and occupied with thoughts of all things and tasks on your to do list. Hence, restful sleep can be an elusive dream, so use the calming scent of a diffuser to relax your anxious nerves before bedtime. Make sure to keep the room ventilated and turn off the diffuser before you drift off to bed.

There are times when you may be sleeping alone, without your partner or even feeling unsettled about sleeping in a new home. In these cases, the night time darkness can give you an eerie feeling that you can get rid of with the use of a simple night light. Its soft golden glow will reassure you that you are safe in the comfort of your duvet.

Seemingly harmless scrolling on social media can have poor effects on your sleep quality. This is because you may often see or read about something unsavoury that triggers you. Your dreams can subsequently be plagued with animal cruelty, warfare (if you’ve been watching a violent movie) or even heartbreak if you’ve been stalking your ex-lover online. Turning off your TV and smartphone an hour before bedtime can help you have a more restful slumber.

Reports suggest that stressful dreams can have you feeling anxious, but they also happen at the time of your REM cycle. Hence, you may use the aforementioned ways to calm your mind and soothe your nerves to ensure you have no recurrent nightmares when you sleep.

ALSO READ: Monday Mind Talks: What is sleep hygiene and how can it enhance your quality of sleep