Do you always feel tired in the morning because you often dream of unpleasant things while sleeping? If so, preventing or minimizing the appearance of dreams is one step that can be taken to improve the quality of sleep and the quality of your energy in the morning. The trick, try relaxing the body or meditating before bed. In addition, improve your lifestyle and routine at night to reduce the appearance of dreams that are scary or feel real. With enough time and practice, you will undoubtedly be able to sleep without dreaming or, at the very least, limit the impact of dreams on your emotional state.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Preventing Dreams From Occurring
Step 1. Practice the ability to meditate to calm yourself and achieve quality sleep without dreaming
The intense process of meditating can help relax your body and mind. As a result, doing so can encourage the body to fall asleep without being colored by dreams at night. Therefore, try to do it just before bedtime to increase the chances of a dreamless sleep.
- The goal of meditation is to focus your mind on one word, one thought, or one feeling, in order to strengthen both awareness and calmness.
- In particular, body scan meditation is useful for making it easier for you to fall asleep at night.
Step 2. Forget your dreams
Constantly remembering or lamenting a dream can make it repeat itself in the future, either with a similar theme or with a similar emotional impact. Therefore, after waking up, try to occupy yourself with other activities so that your brain can forget the dream you just had.
- The lower your level of attention, the more likely the dream will fade over time.
- However, understand that this method does not apply to nightmares, especially since the frequency of nightmares will actually decrease if you are willing to explore them.
Step 3. Set an alarm when you take a nap
If you have time to take a nap and don't want to dream, try setting an alarm for 30-45 minutes. This way, you will wake up before entering the REM phase, which is the phase where you are most likely to dream.
This method is actually less effective to apply when you sleep at night, especially because at night, your body needs the REM phase in order to feel more energized the next day
Step 4. Talk to your doctor about the possibility of taking sleeping pills
If you're constantly having terrible dreams that feel real, some medications can actually reduce their frequency or intensity. Therefore, please provide your medical history and the symptoms you are experiencing to find out the best treatment recommendations.
Also tell your doctor what medications you are taking, especially since some medications can trigger dreams that feel real or have the potential to interfere with your emotional health
Method 2 of 3: Improve Sleep Quality
Step 1. Don't take caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine before bed
All three can irritate the central nervous system and disrupt your sleep cycle. In addition, make sure all three are consumed within 5-6 hours before you go to bed at night.
If you like to eat one or more of them at night, do not do it on an empty stomach so that the effect on the body is not getting stronger
Step 2. Incorporate an exercise routine into your weekly agenda
In addition to nourishing the body, exercising regularly can also improve sleep quality. Therefore, try to exercise 2-3 times per week, each lasting about 30-60 minutes, especially when you need maximum rest at night.
Try not to do physical activity for 1-2 hours before bed, especially because physical activity can stimulate the body and make it difficult to get a good night's rest
Step 3. Have a regular sleep schedule
Whenever possible, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. By doing so, the body will undoubtedly be trained to sleep faster at night without having to constantly wake up or change positions.
The recommended sleep duration is 7-8 hours per night. Whenever possible, try to fulfill this duration so that the body is always healthy and in top shape
Step 4. Stop using all electronic devices before going to bed
Basically, a glowing screen can trick the brain by sending a signal that it's morning. As a result, the quality of your sleep will be disturbed afterwards. That's why, it's best to turn off all electronic devices at least an hour before going to bed to improve the quality of your rest.
If you're having trouble sleeping and have an alarm clock in your room, we recommend using an analog clock instead of one with a screen that lights up
Method 3 of 3: Preventing Terrible Dreams
Step 1. Make the bedroom a comfortable and relaxing place for you
To prevent nightmares from appearing, make sure your bedroom is only used for one thing: sleep. Don't do activities that are prone to triggering stress, such as work or discussing personal problems with those closest to you in the room, so you can rest without feeling anxious.
- Soft and comfortable bedding can also help relax the body and reduce emotional disturbances when you sleep.
- The more severe your emotional state before bedtime, the higher the risk of having nightmares.
Step 2. Sleep on your right side instead of your left
Did you know that the position of the body when sleeping can affect the quality of dreams? In fact, people who are used to sleeping on their left side are at a higher risk of having nightmares. Therefore, if your sleep is constantly plagued by nightmares, try lying on your side to the right to overcome them.
Despite having a lower risk of nightmares, people who sleep on their right side claimed to have decreased sleep quality
Step 3. Don't eat spicy, high-carbohydrate, or high-sugar foods before bed
All three can irritate your stomach and increase your risk of having strange or scary dreams. If you feel hungry at night, try eating light, nutritious foods such as cherries, rice, or sweet potatoes.
It's best not to eat heavy meals before going to bed, especially as an uncomfortable stomach from being too full can reduce sleep quality and increase the risk of having nightmares at night
Step 4. Try to understand the significance of your dream
After having a bad or scary dream, try to attach meaning to the dream to help ease your fears. In particular, try to interpret the various symbols that appear in dreams and relate their meanings to things that happen in real life. Doing so will help you understand dreams better and prevent recurring nightmares.
- For example, if you're constantly dreaming about failing on a math test, maybe in real life, you're actually feeling exhausted in math class. To work around this, try discussing tips you can take to better manage your academic responsibilities.
- If you have trouble finding the meaning of the symbols that appear in your dreams, try accessing dream dictionaries available on the internet.
Step 5. Imagine a recurring nightmare to deal with it
If you keep having specific nightmares, try imagining the situation you're dreaming of. Before reaching the climax, bend the plot in your dream so that the end result is no longer scary.
For example, if you constantly dream of wearing only your underwear at the office, try to imagine the condition when you realize that the clothes you are wearing are incomplete when you are sitting in the car, then immediately change into work clothes before arriving at the office
Step 6. See a counselor if dreams start to affect your quality of sleep
If nightmares are causing you to have insomnia or an anxiety disorder, don't hesitate to seek help from a health professional, such as a counselor or therapist, to gradually minimize the frequency of nightmares.
Make an appointment with your doctor, especially since certain medications and sleep disorders can increase the risk of having nightmares at night
Tips
- Of all the people who experience dreamless sleep, quite a number of them actually dream, but are unable to remember the dream in the morning. Understanding these techniques can reduce your risk of remembering or experiencing annoying dreams without completely eliminating the possibility of dreaming.
- Instead of trying to get rid of dreams, try to control annoying dreams by practicing lucid dreaming, which allows you to be more aware of yourself while you sleep.
