Why do I have nightmares all the time? This is how the experts explain it

I believe that everyone has had the experience of having nightmares, and a small number of friends wake up from dreams every day. So why do they have strange dreams one after another? Today I will show you the reasons why you have nightmares.

1. High pressure

Being stressed and anxious during the day can also have a huge impact on dreams, possibly because the brain uses negative emotions to process these negative experiences.

2. Eating spicy food before going to bed

Spicy foods increase your metabolic rate and body temperature, which in turn increases brain activity, especially during REM sleep, when dreams are most likely to occur. Therefore, you should eat less or no spicy food before going to bed.

3. Watching TV before going to bed

Dreams come from people's subconscious mind. If you watch TV programs with strong emotional elements before going to sleep, your mind will pay more attention to these plots, causing strange scenes to appear in your dreams.

4. Didn’t sleep well the night before

When people are sleep-deprived, they may experience more intense and longer REM sleep in the following nights, a phenomenon also known as REM sleep rebound. Therefore, dreams may also be more dense and intense.

5. Suffering from sleep apnea syndrome

Because sleep apnea disrupts sleep, the oxygen supply decreases during dreaming, which can cause dreams to be overly vivid or disturbing. If you still feel very poor after sleeping for a full eight hours, or your partner keeps complaining about your snoring, you need to see a sleep specialist.

6. Recently stopped taking a certain medication

Common antidepressants, such as paroxetine and sertraline, and psychostimulants, such as Ritalin, suppress dreaming during sleep. In the first few days of stopping these medications, the dreams will "return" in full force. Crazy and bizarre dreams may also occur after suddenly stopping a long-term bad habit such as drinking or smoking marijuana.

7. Taking supplements containing melatonin

Taking a supplement containing melatonin will speed up your onset of sleep and increase your sleep, but it will also increase the intensity of your dreams because your body is essentially making up for lost sleep. There is currently no recommended dose for melatonin, so people with insomnia should consult a doctor before taking it, as high doses of melatonin may cause anxiety and irritability.