Help with Nightmares

Have you ever wondered why you tend to have nightmares related to traumatic events in your life? The stronger the emotional response is to an event, the deeper the memory is embedded in your hippocampus. While you are sleeping, your brain reviews information and sorts and organizes the data. When we experience trauma, we often “stuff” the experience. We try not to think about it, and we often do not want to talk about it. Unfortunately, the brain remembers the trauma and continues to try and make sense of the traumatic event so that it knows where to file it away. It’s almost like our brain gets stuck “buffering” much like a computer screen can stall in its attempt to load information.

The brain does a lot of its “buffering” while we sleep; this is why we tend to have nightmares where we re-live traumatic events or dreams that share an emotional connection with the trauma. So what can we do to stop the nightmares?

First, you may want to talk with a therapist to learn coping skills to regulate negative emotions so that you can process the trauma. Talking or writing about the trauma with professional help, can help your brain to stop “buffering” and file away the painful memories.

Practice relaxation prior to going to bed; take a hot bath. Drink chamomile tea. Read the Word; practice muscle relaxation. Find ways to slow your heart rate and calm your anxiety prior to going to bed. Another good rule of thumb is to turn off all screens at least 1 hour before going to bed. The blue light in the screen delays your body’s internal clock and suppresses the release of sleep-inducing hormones making it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.

If you can’t sleep, get out of bed and do something to help you relax. Consider reading a book. Once you are able to calm your body and your mind, try again and return to bed.

Nightmares can be exhausting — there is help. This is often a symptom of PTSD. Be willing to ask for help if you need it. I can’t overstate the importance of sleep; when we don’t sleep, we don’t function well. We become irritable, more likely to make poor decisions, and our immune system is compromised.

I hope you have a great night sleep tonight, and that your dreams are sweet. In the words of my Kenyan friends, “La la salama” (sleep well).