Nightmares: A Complete Guide to These Bad Dreams

We’ve all had nightmares at one time or another, those terrifying dreams that wake us up startled. Nightmares are normal, but if they cause discomfort during the day and interfere with our daily lives, they can become a problem!

Nightmares and night terrors in kids: when do they stop being normal?

Night terrors and nightmares happen in different parts of the sleep cycle and in different parts of the night. Night terrors usually happen before midnight and occur when the child is “stuck” between a deep and light sleep stage. Their body is therefore “awake” but their mind isn’t. In contrast, nightmares tend to occur after midnight and happen during the light sleep stage, when we do most of our dreaming.

19 Things You Probably Never Knew About Nightmares

Let's talk about what really happens when you wake up because it's the apocalypse and all your teeth fell out.

Awake in a Nightmare

From ancient demons to alien abductions, paranormal tales reveal that “sleep paralysis” may be as old as sleep itself.

Having Frequent, Terrifying Dreams Could Mean You Have Nightmare Disorder

Nightmare disorder, also called dream anxiety disorder, is exactly what it sounds like: when a person is plagued with frequent distressing dreams that are so upsetting, the negative effects spill into real life. What a...nightmare. But what makes someone prone to this, while another person has consistently blissful dreams?

How to Avoid Nightmares and Bad Dreams to Get More Restful Sleep

Most importantly, don’t feel embarrassed to bring the issue up — nightmares aren’t childish. They can have a significant impact on your waking life, and social support along with healthy lifestyle habits can play an important role in minimizing their impact.

How to Stop Nightmares and Night Terrors

Who hasn’t woken up tangled in sheets, sweating, terrified from a nightmare? Whether you’re late for an exam, naked in public, or being chased by anything from a dinosaur to a scary clown, we’ve all been jolted awake, afraid of the monsters in our heads. But while nightmares are stressful for the dreamer, night terrors are often more stressful for the observer.

How to Tame Your Nightmares

Therapies teach sleepers to change the ending of their dreams—or even take flight.

Men Have Nightmares About Earthquakes, While Women Have Nightmares About Relationships

Though the occasional nightmare is a universal experience (as is the friend who recounts that nightmare for two hours over brunch), the study finds that harrowing dreams occur far more frequently in women than in men. This could be because women have better dream recall as a rule, says Zadra, or it could reflect that the conditions that give rise to nightmares—anxiety, depression—are more prevalent in women than in men.

More Than Just a Bad Dream--A Nightmare's Impact on the Waking Brain

Nightmares may fuel anxiety rather than serving as an emotional release.

Nightmares about more than just fear, new study finds

Plenty of other negative emotions, like anxiety, sadness, guilt, and confusion are present in our oftentimes complex bad dreams.

Nightmares Are Especially Disturbing When You Have a Mental Illness

Researchers explore the link between bad dreams and the desire to self-harm.

Sleep Nightmares | Scary Dreams and Night Terrors

Sleep nightmares don’t usually occur in a fixed pattern. You can’t really pin its dissonance, or jot it down on a piece of paper. But what you can certainly do is arrange these scary dreams in a trophy house, to be shared.

Why Nightmares Might Actually Be Good For You

So if you’re one of the up to 8 percent of adults who sometimes experience nightmares, don’t worry too much about it! It’s just your brain’s way of putting your fears behind you.