If you want to stop having nightmares or if you simply want to dream less, you can improve the quality of your sleep by taking a few small steps. By relaxing or meditating before bed, you can promote dreamless sleep. By improving your lifestyle and evening habits to get better rest, you can lay the foundation for a more restful sleep and have less vivid and distressing dreams. With time and practice, you may be able to stop dreaming altogether or limit your emotional involvement.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Promote Dreamless Sleep
Step 1. Meditate to calm your mind and promote dreamless sleep
Deep meditation is a technique that helps you relax and, in clearing your mind of thoughts, promotes restful, dreamless sleep. Try meditating before bed to increase your chances of sleeping soundly, without dreaming.
- Focusing the mind on a word, thought or feeling can induce a state of calm or deep awareness.
- The "body scan" is a meditation practice particularly suitable for falling asleep gently in the evening.
Step 2. Do not pay attention to dreams upon awakening
If you mull over what you dreamed about, the chances of the same theme coming back to disturb your sleep increase. When you wake up, try to distract yourself by dedicating yourself to work or another activity instead of mulling over the dreams you just had.
- The less attention you pay to dreams, the more likely they are to disappear over time.
- Nightmares are an exception, as exploring their meaning could prevent them from recurring in the future.
Step 3. Set your alarm when you want to take a nap
If you feel tired during the day and decide to rest while avoiding dreams altogether, set your alarm to go off after 30-45 minutes. In this way, you will be able to wake up before entering the REM phase where the probability of dreaming is greater.
This method is not suitable for the night, as the body needs to enter REM to wake up fully rested
Step 4. Talk to your doctor about getting sleep medication
If you have particularly vivid dreams, medications can help reduce their intensity or frequency. Talk about night dreams and your medical records with your doctor to find the best possible treatment.
Some medications can stimulate vivid or emotionally stressful dreams, so if you are already taking medications it is important that your doctor knows
Method 2 of 3: Promote a Restful Sleep
Step 1. Avoid caffeinated drinks, alcohol and nicotine before bed
Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol can irritate the nervous system and interfere with sleep phases. So try to avoid these three substances at least during the 5-6 hours that proceed the bedtime.
If you don't want to give up coffee, alcohol or cigarettes during the evening, at least try to drink or smoke on a full stomach to reduce the negative effects on the body
Step 2. Plan your weekly workout
Exercising regularly helps you stay healthy and sleep soundly. Try to include at least 2-3 training sessions of 30-60 minutes each in your weekly schedule, concentrate on the days when you need to sleep well and wake up refreshed.
Exercise stimulates your body and can keep you from falling asleep, so it's best to avoid working out in the evening as you may feel more restless than usual
Step 3. Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every time
Plan your days in advance and create a regular routine. This way you will train your body to fall asleep faster and you will not risk staying awake unnecessarily, tossing and turning in bed.
Experts recommend sleeping 7-8 hours a night to feel refreshed and stay healthy
Step 4. Turn off all electronic devices before bed
The bright screens of computers, mobile phones and televisions fool the brain into believing it is daytime and disrupt the sleep cycle. Turn off all electronic devices in your bedroom at least an hour before bed to ensure a peaceful and restful night.
If you need to use the alarm clock, choose analog instead of digital and backlit to not have difficulty sleeping
Method 3 of 3: Preventing Distressing Dreams
Step 1. Create a relaxing atmosphere in the bedroom
To prevent nightmares, reserve your room for only one thing: sleep. Avoid doing stressful activities, such as working or solving personal problems, in order not to feel anxious when it is time to fall asleep.
- A comfy, comfortable mattress along with soft, clean bedding can help you relax and reduce emotional stress.
- The more upset you are when you go to sleep, the more likely you are to have nightmares.
Step 2. Sleep on your right side instead of your left
The position of the body can influence the quality of dreams: those who sleep on the left side tend to be more prone to having nightmares. If you have bad dreams often, try sleeping on your right side.
The position of the body affects the dream activity, but also the quality of sleep. Generally, people who sleep on their right side dream less, but sleep worse
Step 3. Avoid heavily spiced foods and foods high in sugar or carbohydrates before bed
All of these foods can irritate the stomach and increase the chances of having strange or distressing dreams. If you feel the need to snack before falling asleep, eat something light, like cherries, rice, or sweet potatoes.
Don't overdo the quantities, even if you choose light ingredients. If you have a large meal before bed, you risk irritating your stomach and staying awake or having nightmares
Step 4. Try to understand the meaning of your dreams
When you wake up upset because you had a bad dream, try to understand what its meaning could be to understand if there is a problem and how to leave it behind. Try to analyze the symbolic meaning of the dream to better understand it and prevent it from repeating itself.
- For example, if you have dreamed of failing the math exam, perhaps it is because you feel overwhelmed by school commitments. Talk to a teacher to find ways to better manage your workload.
- Try searching for the images you dreamed of in the pages of a book for dream interpretation, if you can't give them meaning by yourself.
Step 5. Think back to recurring nightmares to deal with them
If you are plagued by nightmares that repeat cyclically, try going through the individual scenes in your mind. Before you get to the highlight, tweak the events slightly in a way that changes and resolves the situation that scares you.
For example, if you often dream of finding yourself in the office wearing only your undergarments, rework the events and imagine that you are without clothes while you are in the car and that you have the opportunity to get dressed
Step 6. Talk to a therapist if nightmares are preventing you from sleeping well
If you suffer from insomnia or are very anxious about recurring nightmares, you may need help. Make an appointment with a therapist who will help you gradually reduce the frequency of nightmares.
Talk to your doctor as well. Nightmares could be caused by a sleep disorder or a medicine
Advice
- Some people are convinced that they are not dreaming, while in reality they do not remember their dreams in the morning. By following the tips of the article you can reduce the frequency of nightmares or avoid remembering them, but it is not certain that you will be able to eliminate them completely.
- Instead of avoiding dreaming, you can stop having distressing dreams by learning to control them through the lucid dreaming technique. Read this article if you want to learn how to be more conscious while you sleep.
