Everyone has unpleasant dreams sometimes. But what causes nightmares one day and fun dreams the next?

A nightmare is just a dream although a dream that incorporates danger and fear! The most frightening aspect of any nightmare is the absence of any form of control. About 5% of the population have regular nightmares.

All dreaming occurs during the REM sleep - rapid eye movement. Nightmares, as opposed to most other dreams, can produce very real physical effects. The dream's pulse rate can increase and he/she can display physical characteristics that are only apparent during stress.

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.

Experiencing some form of trauma sometimes causes nightmares.

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.

It is unknown what exactly causes nightmares to be so vivid. It is possible that we merely remember our bad dreams more easily because they frighten us.

People who are very sensitive to the views and opinions of others have nightmares much more frequently than those who are not. These people are more likely to become upset and emotionally disturbed if someone criticizes them and this could be something that causes nightmares to be more frequent for them.

A negative attitude causes nightmares that are frequent and vivid. By holding on to negative thoughts or feelings you are instructing your mind to process this data. When the subconscious mind tries to deal with this negative data it causes nightmares so that it can process it.

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.

You can learn to control your dreams regardless of whatever is 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.

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