Is there anything more tedious than when someone says: “I had the weirdest dream last night…”? That’s always my cue to go somewhere else in my head and eye the nearest exit. All dreams are weird, OK? That’s their job. I don’t CARE about your aunt who wasn’t really your aunt but lived in a house that you used to live in as a kid and then she turned into a horse and eating her fingernails and then it was suddenly night time and you were at work except it wasn’t really work it was a soccer field and then………
Even if I was in your dream, please don’t tell me about them. ESPECIALLY if I was in your dream. People do this a lot on Twitter. I wish they wouldn’t. Please stop.
Anyway. The other day I read some interesting research on nightmares. Very different to dreams. People tend to share them less, which is a good thing, but they can be terribly distressing. Read this……
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Nightmares could be much more common than previously thought, as Australian research shows almost 16 per cent of people have dreams that cause them to wake in fright every week.
Victoria University PhD candidate Fabian Elzo surveyed 440 students, aged 18 to 34 years, from the Melbourne-based university, asking them how often they had bad dreams that caused them to wake up.
He found not everyone had nightmares, but they were extremely common, with nine out of 10 (89.3 per cent) of the students reporting at least one nightmare in the past year.
They were also asked whether their nightmares were “trauma-related” – referencing a past traumatic experience and possibly recurrent – or whether they were more general and abstract.
The survey found 15.9 per cent of the students reported having at least one trauma or more general nightmare a week.
Mamamia reader Jane Teresa Anderson is as an internationally acclaimed dream analyst and personal development coach based in Brisbane. She writes
By Jane Teresa Anderson
“When did you last wake in fright from a nightmare, lathered in cold sweat, your heart pounding, gasping for breath, and scared to go back to sleep again? Were you trying to shout for help, only to muster a muffled yelp? Were you trapped, being chased or threatened, tottering on a high cliff ledge, falling or drowning? Did your child slip from your grasp, did your lover betray you, did you discover the dead body of someone you know, or was that wild animal about to pounce?
Maybe you’re shaking your head thinking “that’s not me”. However, spare a thought for one in six Australians who wake in fright from a nightmare every week. That’s according to new research by PhD candidate Fabian Elzo released yesterday. Scarier than that is the fact that global research caps the average figures for weekly nightmares at one in ten people, and maybe as low as one in twenty-five. So are we Australians more prone to nightmares, and, more importantly, why do we have nightmares, what do they mean and how can we stop them?
A dream becomes a nightmare when something frightens you so much in the dream that your body pumps up your adrenalin levels because it believes the dream situation is real. Adrenalin is the hormone that prepares you for fight or flight in the face of threat – your heart rate soars, and your skin displays goose bumps to raise your hairs, like a wild animal, to scare your enemy into thinking you’re bigger than you are.
Now what is there to fear as we lay safely tucked up in bed? Ah, lots. Your conscious mind may be out to the count, but your dreaming brain is working hard, while you sleep, to process your experiences of the last 24-48 hours. That includes your fears, perhaps the ones you know about but, far more powerfully, the unconscious ones that exert their influence subtly but oh so powerfully. Interestingly, studies have shown that adults who have frequent nightmares tend to be more open, sensitive and emotional than average.
How can you prevent nightmares? First up, find out what your nightmare is reflecting your unconscious fears and beliefs. Once you’ve identified these you can erase them from your unconscious mind. They will no longer affect your waking life and so the nightmare will stop. Each dream is unique but here are some guidelines. Remember that your dream relates to how you have been feeling over the past 1-2 days.
Being chased: you’re running away from facing a fear. Better to face it and deal with it.
On a cliff edge or falling: you fear letting go, or your fears are limiting your potential. Are you frightened to step beyond comfort zone, to let go of old habits?
Losing your baby/lover: everyone in a dream represents a part of yourself. What part of yourself are you scared you are losing touch with?
Trapped: your fears and beliefs are keeping you trapped and are limiting your options.
Suffocating: your fears and beliefs are preventing you from being at ease, from living life to the full, perhaps from communicating and expressing yourself.
Death and dying: dreams are never literal. What seems to be ending in your life? Is it a job, a friendship or a relationship? How do you feel about this?
Nightmare on Elm Street
The next step to getting on top of your nightmares is a practice I call ‘dream alchemy’ – to visualise a new, happier ending where you are the hero, not the victim. For example, if you tend to dream about being chased by a scary looking man with a weapon, you could turn him into a small friendly fly that you flick away. If you rehearse this new ending in your mind enough times, it will eventually transform your fear and help stop your nightmares.
There are some other ways you can put yourself into a calm frame of mind before bed which will reduce your chances of having a nightmare.
Reduce your intake of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes
Cut out caffeinated drinks from your diet
Drink a warm glass of milk before bed
Avoid playing computer games, reading scary books or watching scary movies before bed
Don’t work right up to the point you go to bed
Avoid going to bed hungry
The best part about getting the upper hand with your nightmares is the flow on effect in your real life, which often shifts into a more positive gear. Not to mention the benefits of a good night’s sleep!”
About the author: Jane Teresa Anderson is an internationally acclaimed dream analyst and personal development coach based in Brisbane. She has written six popular books, numerous e-books and is a frequent guest on national television and talk back radio. She hosts a weekly podcast called “The Dream Show” and is the author of the popular blog “In Your Dreams” where she sheds light on the fascinating subject of dreams.
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I thought everyone had nightmares. I have nightmares all the time. Not just once a week but sometimes more than one in a night even! Though I can go a period of time without a bad dreams. Reading this it sounds like I'm abnormal to have so many nightmares.