Things that cause you to wake up in the middle of the night, frightened and possibly even shaking.

However, what gives rise to their occurrence?

Any tips on reducing the frequency or even eliminating nightmares would be greatly appreciated.

Every night, we all have a little fantasy of our own.

In fact, we usually have a number of dreams during the night.

But we can only recall a few of these dreams, if any at all.

When we have nightmares, we are awakened from our deep sleep because the images and sounds are so vivid and disturbing.

While we sleep, our brains appear to organise themselves in the form of dreams.

You only notice your anti-virus software when something goes wrong, like background processing on a computer.

Adults who experience nightmares share many of the same characteristics as children.

Here are a few of the most commonly held beliefs about what causes them to arise.

A lack of sleep

When sleep deprivation is already an issue, the last thing you need is to be startled awake in the middle of the night by a terrifying presence.

However, it is a common cause of nightmares.

Because your body’s defences are already depleted, your dreams may take unexpected turns.

Take a sleeping pill for the time being in order to get through the night and return to normal sleep patterns.

That, however, is only an option for a few days at the most.

Before you go to bed, try to wind down and relax as much as possible, then lower the lights and make the room as dark as possible.

A hot bath before bed, meditation, or listening to hypnosis tracks can also be helpful in relieving stress.

Alcohol

Alcohol is a legal means of altering one’s state of mind.

Which means you’re not entirely in your own regular mind, by definition.

Even if everyone around you thinks you’ve passed out from too much alcohol, you may be stimulating the part of your brain that causes nightmares.

Reduce your alcohol consumption.

It’s not necessary to change brands or styles frequently, so if a certain number of pints or glasses suffices for you, you can gradually lower the alcohol content.

Drinks should be alternated between alcoholic and non-alcoholic options whenever possible.

You’ll find that over time, you’ll use less alcohol and get a better buzz (and for less money) from a smaller amount.

Drugs prescribed by medical professionals.

Yes, it’s time for drugs once more.

Even when they’re legal.

If you don’t read the small print on the back of the packet or throw it away, you’re missing out on the potential side effects of most drugs.

Take a look at it and see if there are any new symptoms you’ve recently noticed.

Avoid becoming a hypochondriac by not doing this too frequently.

Nonetheless, if you suspect that a medical condition is causing your nightmares, see your doctor and ask for an alternative treatment.

Check out this page on how to stop nightmares in adults if you’re one of the unfortunate few.