Anyone can have a bad dream but what makes some worse than other others - what causes nightmares?

A nightmare is an unpleasant or unwanted dream in which the dreamer feels they are in some danger. The most alarming aspect of a nightmare is the lack of control associated with it. Did you know that around 5% of adults have nightmares regularly?

Nightmares, and all dreams, occur during the REM, or Rapid Eye Movement, state. During a nightmare a person can display sweating, a higher pulse rate and in fact many of the physical symptoms that would be apparent if they were in a real life fearful event.

Even though there are many theories about it we really do not know for certain causes nightmares.

A popular view of dreaming suggests that what causes nightmares is the need to release stresses from the day. Sigmund Freud held the view that repressed or suppressed fear causes nightmares and they could be stopped through psychotherapy.

A vidid memory of a traumatic event sometimes causes nightmares connected to that event.

Another common factor that causes nightmares is illness. This is often worsened by the introduction of medicine into the body which causes nightmares to be more vivid and frequent.

What causes nightmares to be so lucid no-one really knows for certain. Although Mary Shelly penned Frankenstein after a lucid nightmare, most of us do not benefit from a bad dream in such a lucrative way.

It has been suggested that sensitively emotional people can have nightmares more readily than everyone else. What causes nightmares in these people is still unknown. But the fact that they are more vulnerable to emotional upset means they more likely get emotionally upset which can be something that causes nightmares.

Prolonged negative thinking can be a factor that causes nightmares. As a way of trying to process the negative images and feelings that a person creates throughout the day the mind causes nightmares to deal with them.

There are several ways to deal with bad dreams and remove whatever it is that causes nightmares to happen to you. One way is to avoid anything stressful, upsetting or negative at least two hours prior to sleep. This includes the news or violent/scary movies as reading or watching such things create negative images in your mind and this is often what causes nightmares.

A great way of eliminating nightmares is by controlling your dreams. Lucid Dreaming allows you to investigate your dream world, control it and find out what causes nightmares for you.

As well as avoiding negatives you can seek out positives. Find something inspiring to do a few hours before bedtime. Watch a fun film or read a light-hearted book. You can also visualize your perfect scene or think of some peaceful place you love as you drift off to sleep. Remember if you bombard your senses with negativity just before you sleep it often causes nightmares.

If you want to know more about controlling your dreams or want to learn how to do it click on the link causes nightmares!