“Of all the things you choose in life, you don’t get to choose what nightmares are. You don’t pick them. They pick you“ - John Irving

Nightmare originated from an old English word called 'mare', which means mythological monsters like goblins or demons who torment and frighten people at night.

What is a nightmare? Is it a dream? Of course, nightmares are dreams. Dreams turn out into something which you fear the most. Some wise men said that the things that you fear that you can't speak, which are always present inside your subconscious mind, are the ones that turn dreams into nightmares. Your guilt and despair can also trigger nightmares. Whatever your phobias are can also trigger nightmares. It doesn't matter if you are a king or a peasant, a conqueror or a knight, a child or an adult, an animal or a human, all mammals tend to have nightmares. Having frightening dreams is more common than anything.

When we were children, we always feared Boogeyman would come from the darkness present under our bed when we are asleep and drag us to that dark world, and we do have nightmares about it. It was the most dreadful nightmare a child could have and as we grow old we stop getting these frightening dreams. Just like this, some nightmares can be imaginative and some can be real. Some think nightmares are evil spirits that oppress people while sleeping and some think it can be a sign of misfortune that would happen in the future. These nightmares are like signals sent to prepare us for the future. It can create so many negative feelings inside our minds. When someone sees a nightmare, they are afraid their day is ruined, and it won't go well. But, all these are just superstitious folktales and negative thoughts which have no scientific explanations.

Scientifically, nightmares or bad dreams are a strong emotional response from the mind, which cause discomfort, sadness, and typically a feeling of fear while still asleep. Nightmares can also cause sleep paralysis. According to the international classification of sleep disorder, nightmare disorder is a subcategory of the Parasomnia cluster. Yes, nightmares can be a mental disorder if it keeps recurring in an extended form. These repeated occurrences of dysphoric dreams mainly happen in the second half of the major sleep episode. Once the sleep is disrupted or disturbed because of these nightmares, the body seems to be oriented or alert throughout the night causing insomnia. It can also cause nocturnal seizures which means whenever a person closes his/her eyes after the nightmare which feels real, they keep seeing it whenever they close their eyes again in the process of trying to sleep even if they try to avoid it. Dreams are generally forgetful when a person wakes up except for some dreams or nightmares which have a clear meaning and feel real to that person.

There are many disorders like fever, anxiety, stress, depression, etc. that can trigger these bad dreams. Some mental disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder can cause a series of nightmares in a person. If a person is in stress for a long time in a certain situation, it can cause nightmares. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor. Often the content of nightmares can differ, but the most common nightmares are failing an important examination, missing out on your bus or train after chasing it for a long time, falling from a cliff, drowning in an ocean, etc. Repeated awakenings due to fear, anxiety, in shock, can cause insomnia. Insomnia can cause some major health disorders in a person. It can harm their immune system and state of mind, fatigue and tiredness all day, lack of energy, and eating disorders.

Research says that children who have seen death in the family or close ones, who were bullied, abused mentally, physically, and sexually often suffer from recurring nightmares. These nightmares are called Post-traumatic stress disorder nightmares. No one knows how long it can go on. These are the responses to the traumas in which they feel as if they are still in that certain disturbing situation in their dream which causes them to be hurt and in trauma. This technique is called imagery rehearsal. Adults mostly have acute stress disorder for which they see nightmares in sleep. It can be because of work, family pressure, etc. Children are more vulnerable to threats, stress, fear and anxiety and somehow the nightmares are a reflection of that vulnerability.

Many psychotherapists have tried to find treatments to help these patients. There are many techniques like analytic and cathartic, behavioral techniques, face and conquer approach, etc. The most common therapy is exposure therapy which is mainly used for treating anxiety. In 2003, a study discovered that a drug named 'prazosin' which is used to treat hypertension patients can be used in the treatment of relieving nightmares and was reported in the ' American Journal of Psychiatry'. Some self-treatments are avoiding scary movies, horror TV shows, and scary novels. Avoiding the use of laptops, TV, and phones before sleep can be beneficial as well. Relaxing and not taking stress before sleep can also help in preventing these nightmares. Keep a proper schedule of sleep even if it's a daytime nap. Sleep hygiene is important. Sometimes taking a proper hot shower relaxes your muscles and helps in having a sound sleep. Avoiding caffeine at night or before bedtime can be a good solution. Have proper food before bedtime, a hungry stomach can wake you up in the middle of the night. Sleep in an appropriate place, proper time, temperature, and environment. Yoga, meditation and exercise can help in relaxing your body and having a sound sleep.

Nightmares are scary and full of horror. We can’t stop these dreams, but we can try and turn our nightmares into strength and take steps towards chasing our dreams, good dreams, and a goal. The more steps you take, the more you are far from nightmares. The journey may be difficult but, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

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