Foods That Fuel Insomnia and Increase Nightmares

From jordannews.jo

A recent study found that eating certain foods late at night may affect sleep quality and increase disturbing dreams and nightmares, particularly among people with lactose intolerance.

The study included 1,082 students, with an average age of 20, who answered questionnaires about their sleep quality, sleep disturbances, and nightmares, alongside questions about their eating habits, intolerance to certain foods, and whether they noticed specific foods affecting their sleep and dreams.

More than 40% of participants reported that eating a late-night snack or certain foods affected their sleep, either positively or negatively. 20% said foods like fruit, herbal tea, and vegetables helped them sleep better, while 24.7% reported that sweets, dairy products, and spicy foods negatively affected their sleep.

Looking specifically at disturbing dreams occurring after night-time eating, researchers found that dairy products and sweets were among the foods most commonly consumed by participants before bed.

A Clear Link to Lactose Intolerance
The relationship was especially pronounced among participants with lactose intolerance, who were more likely to report that late-night snacking negatively affected their sleep.

Among participants who said food negatively affected their sleep, 29.6% had lactose intolerance, compared to 19.5% among those who said food had no effect on their sleep.

Researchers believe digestive symptoms may explain part of this link, since stomach pain and digestive disturbances occurring at night can affect sleep and may lead to more vivid or disturbing dreams.

Dr. Tore Nielsen of the University of Montreal, the study's lead author, said nightmares tend to be worse among people with lactose intolerance and severe digestive symptoms, noting that physical sensations can influence dreams.

Researchers also found that eating late-night snacks, regardless of the type of food, was linked to an increase in dreams and nightmares. By contrast, people who rarely snacked before bed were more likely to remember their dreams compared to those who regularly ate late at night.

Findings Consistent with Earlier Research
These findings align with previous research linking digestive disorders to sleep problems. In a 2019 study involving 2,752 participants, researchers found a link between sleep disturbances and digestive conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

Other research also suggests that night-time acid reflux can affect sleep, due to reduced efficiency of the oesophagus's acid-clearing mechanisms during sleep.
That said, the researchers stress that the study doesn't prove dairy products or sweets directly cause nightmares, nor does it mean everyone should avoid these foods before bed.

Nielsen noted that broader studies are needed, involving people of different ages, social backgrounds, and dietary habits, to confirm whether the findings can be generalized to the wider population. The researchers also plan to conduct an additional study comparing dairy consumption with other foods, aiming to more precisely understand the relationship between diet, nightmares, and sleep disturbances.

https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-122/Health/Foods-That-Fuel-Insomnia-and-Increase-Nightmares-55576 

Study uncovers how poor sleep sets the stage for nightmares—but not the other way around

From psypost.org

A new study published in the Journal of Sleep Research offers insight into how disrupted sleep and nightmares are related. Using wearable technology to track sleep patterns in the homes of participants, researchers found that nights with disturbed sleep tended to be followed by nightmares—but nightmares themselves didn’t make future sleep worse. The findings suggest that trouble staying asleep may create the conditions that make nightmares more likely, rather than nightmares causing insomnia in the short term.

The study was designed to explore whether nightmares and insomnia influence each other over time. Previous research has shown strong associations between nightmares and mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. However, scientists are still working to understand the everyday factors that lead to the appearance of nightmares. One promising theory suggests that sleep disruptions—such as waking up frequently during the night—may increase emotional vulnerability, making people more likely to experience disturbing dreams. This study aimed to test that theory in a natural sleep setting, using both brainwave data and daily self-reports to track when and how nightmares occur.

To test these ideas, researchers recruited 61 adult participants living in the United States. Each participant wore a device called the DREEM 3 headband while they slept at home over a two-week period. This device uses sensors to measure brain activity and provides detailed data about sleep structure, including how long a person spends in different stages of sleep. Participants also completed surveys each morning and evening, reporting on their sleep quality, how refreshed they felt, and any dreams they remembered. These reports were reviewed by trained raters, who categorized them based on whether the dream qualified as a nightmare. A dream was labelled as a nightmare if it included themes like fear, physical danger, or other threatening content—especially if it caused the person to wake up.

The researchers specifically focused on a sleep measure called “wake after sleep onset,” which refers to how long a person spends awake during the night after initially falling asleep. This is a standard way to track sleep disturbance and is often used as an indicator of insomnia. They also measured time spent in deep sleep, known as N3 sleep, which is thought to be important for physical restoration and emotional recovery.

The researchers found that nightmares tended to occur on nights that followed particularly restless sleep. If a participant experienced more frequent or prolonged awakenings one night, they were significantly more likely to have a nightmare the next night. However, sleep quality on the same night as the nightmare, or two nights before, did not seem to have the same effect. This pattern suggests that disturbed sleep may make people more emotionally sensitive or vulnerable during the next night’s sleep, which could increase the chance of having a nightmare.

Interestingly, the reverse did not hold true. Having a nightmare did not significantly increase sleep disturbance that night or over the following two nights. In other words, while poor sleep appeared to precede nightmares, nightmares did not immediately lead to worse sleep. However, people who reported more nightmares overall across the two-week period did tend to experience higher levels of sleep disruption in general. This suggests that people who are prone to nightmares may also be more likely to have chronic sleep difficulties, even if a single nightmare doesn’t worsen sleep on its own.

The researchers also discovered something unexpected about the connection between nightmares and deep sleep. They found that the percentage of time spent in N3 sleep was actually higher on nights when nightmares occurred. This might seem counterintuitive, since N3 sleep is usually considered the most restorative stage of sleep.

However, the authors suggest that this may reflect a kind of rebound effect. After a night of poor sleep, the brain may attempt to compensate by spending more time in deep sleep the following night. This rebound might coincide with the emotional intensity that gives rise to nightmares. In other words, nightmares might be more likely to occur during nights when the body is trying to catch up on restorative sleep following a period of disturbance.

This idea is supported by additional findings in the study. When researchers looked at the interaction between previous-night sleep disturbance and current-night deep sleep, they found that the effect of poor sleep on nightmare likelihood was strongest when it was followed by a night of relatively undisturbed sleep. This means that it might not be just poor sleep or just deep sleep that triggers nightmares—but a particular sequence of the two.

Another important aspect of the study was the use of both objective and subjective data. Participants reported how well they thought they slept each night, but these ratings did not predict whether they would have a nightmare. This disconnect between how people feel about their sleep and what actually happens during the night has been found in earlier studies as well. It points to the value of using physiological data to track sleep patterns and understand the factors that lead to nightmares.

Despite these findings, the study does have some limitations. The sample size was relatively small, and participants were responsible for wearing and managing the sleep headbands at home. Although the devices were previously validated against gold-standard sleep studies, the accuracy of data can still vary due to device placement and signal quality. Also, the classification of nightmares relied on subjective dream reports, which means that nights without remembered dreams were not included. This could lead to some underestimation of nightmare frequency.

Future research could build on this study by using laboratory settings to wake participants during specific stages of sleep and ask them about their dreams in real time. It may also be helpful to investigate whether different types of sleep disturbance have different effects on dream content. Additionally, the study did not measure nightmare distress, which is a separate construct from frequency and may be more closely tied to subjective sleep quality.

The study, “The association between sleep disturbance and nightmares: Temporal dynamics of nightmare occurrence and sleep architecture in the home,” was authored by John Balch, Rachel Raider, Chanel Reed, and Patrick McNamara.

https://www.psypost.org/new-study-uncovers-how-poor-sleep-sets-the-stage-for-nightmares-but-not-the-other-way-around/ 

Why we cannot sleep

From theweek.in

Understanding sleep disorders and what causes them 

Sleep is a fascinating biological process.

“Birds can sleep while flying. Seals can use different sleep biology while swimming in the sea and when on land,” says Dr Sanjeev Jain, former senior professor, department of psychiatry, Molecular Genetics Laboratory, and dean, behavioural sciences, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.

Sleep is an efficient way to 'service' the brain, to make sure it works well and long enough, says Jain. “All through life, sleep is essential to provide the brain time to rest and recuperate, and to get rid of the residue of information processing that uses up a lot of metabolic energy,” explains Jain. “So like any other organ, these waste products have to be removed, the electrical circuits have to be serviced and checked, and new learning has to be stored efficiently. As the master controller, it also has to organise rest for the rest of the body.”

Sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on our body and brain. One should get seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. “If you don’t get enough sleep for various reasons, it could increase your risk of cardiac arrest or a premature heart attack,” warns Dr Subhash Chandra, chairman and head of cardiology, BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi.

Sleep deprivation is a silent epidemic. Light pollution― excessive exposure to light and using light-emitting devices like smartphones and laptops for long hours―jeopardises our sleep patterns. “Many issues such as depression, attention-deficit disorder and chronic anxiety may be linked to light pollution,” says Jain.

The increase in the prevalence of sleep disorders among young adults is a matter of concern. Dr Shama Kovale, consultant ENT, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital, Mumbai, attributes it to lifestyle choices. “Incidence of sleep apnoea has increased in young adults because of obesity, again related to sedentary lifestyle, though it can also occur in non-obese patients,” she says. “There are other sleep disorders like insomnia that happen due to increase in screen time, reduced physical activity and stress.”

Sleep architecture is a cyclical pattern and is divided into two parts―REM (rapid eye movement) and non-REM―explains Dr P.S. Biswas, consultant psychiatrist, Manipal Hospital, Salt Lake, Kolkata. Sleepwalking, a type of sleep disorder, is witnessed in the deepest stage of sleep or non-REM. It is mostly seen among children and young adults. “The main cause of sleepwalking is sleep deprivation, frequent changes in sleep timings, jet lag and genetic factors,” says Biswas. “People suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea can also experience sleepwalking episodes. Sleep talking (somniloquy) is caused by emotional stress and is mostly seen among children aged between three and 10.”

Some genetic defects can cause severe sleep disorders, which can even be fatal, says Jain.

Here are six common sleep disorders:

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNOEA

Tiring experience: Sukhwinder S. Manchanda would feel sleepy driving to work. He was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea.

The daily commute from Noida to Gurugram turned a nightmare for Sukhwinder S. Manchanda, as he developed sleep problems. The 53-year-old who works for Kirei, a garment exporting company, would feel sleepy driving to work. “There were times when I had to stop my car on the side of the road, take a nap and continue,” recalls Manchanda, who is moderately obese. Manchanda would snore loudly waking his wife up at night. He also started losing sleep over not being productive during the day and he decided to consult Dr Vivek Nangia, principal director and head-pulmonology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, in 2019. Based on his symptoms and an overnight sleep study, Manchanda was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). “Snoring, if associated with obstruction to airflow, can prove to be fatal,” warns Nangia. A patient with OSA experiences cessation or reduction of airflow into the lungs during sleep owing to obstruction in the upper airways. When the patient snores, there is some flow of air happening. But snoring is often followed by a complete cessation of air leading to a drop in oxygen levels, says Nangia. “This happens multiple times in the night resulting in [a delay in the oxygen] reaching the various organs of the body including brain, heart, kidneys,” he says. “It can have a plethora of implications on the human body.” The obstruction to the airflow could be due to various causes, including laxity of the muscles at the back of the throat, which become sloppy and collapse inwards to block the passage of air during sleep, he adds. 

“Other causes could be anatomic variations like bulky tongue, enlarged nostrils or uvula, and a lower jaw pushed backwards.’’ OSA is more common in men than in women. Women during pregnancy and after menopause are at a higher risk of OSA. Increasing age, obesity, particularly upper body adiposity, diabetes, alcohol or sedative use and smoking are also predisposing factors for OSA. Loud, habitual snoring and noisy breathing in all sleeping positions are the most common symptoms of OSA, says Nangia. “It is usually associated with fragmented sleep, frequent awakening at night, urge to pass urine during the night, choking sensation during sleep, tossing and turning in bed, jerky leg movements, morning headache and dozing off during the day at the slightest opportunity,” he says. “OSA is a significant contributor to road accidents as well.” The impact of OSA is not just limited to disturbed sleep―it could lead to hypertension, cardiac issues, treatment-resistant depression, dementia and more. “Such patients are more likely to have complications after major surgery as they are prone to breathing problems, especially when sedated and lying on their back,” says Nangia. OSA could manifest in children with non-specific symptoms like poor learning, attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder and complications like neurocognitive impairment and behavioural problems. The gold standard treatment for OSA is continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Manchanda has been using a CPAP machine ever since he was diagnosed with OSA. “Now I get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep,” he says, “and I wake up more refreshed.”

CIRCADIAN RHYTHM DISORDER

Out of rhythm: Mahesh K.C. was troubled by sleeplessness, oversleeping and fatigue. He was diagnosed with circadian rhythm disorder.

Mahesh K.C., an IT professional from Bengaluru, works different shifts through the week and frequently travels abroad. He drinks and smokes occasionally. The 36-year-old would often complain of sleeplessness, oversleeping and fatigue. He was diagnosed with Circadian Rhythm Disorder (shift work disorder and jet lag), after taking his medical background and physical assessment into account. Circadian Rhythm Disorder includes either trouble falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, or getting up too early and having trouble going back to sleep. Mahesh required counselling, lifestyle modification and proper drug initiation to get his life back on track. 

Jet lag can strike you when you travel across different time zones. “Daytime sleepiness, sleeplessness at night, headache, appetite loss, digestive problems, restlessness or moderate depression are all indications of jet lag,” says Dr Sudharshan K.S., consultant pulmonologist at Fortis Hospital, Bengaluru. Changing time zones could disrupt your sleep, leading to circadian rhythm disruptions. Circadian rhythm disorders are caused by the body’s internal clock differing from the time in the new time zone. “Depending on how quickly our internal biological clock adjusts to new external changes, jet lag is typically just temporary,” says Sudharshan.

Shift work can also disrupt your circadian rhythm. People who work on night shifts on a regular basis or switch between shifts can have long-term disturbances that could impact their social and physical well-being. People who regularly work the night shift must get used to napping during the day and being awake and aware at night, suggests Sudharshan.

RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME

Restless, sleepless: Dr Bhupesh could not sleep because of the urge to move his legs. He has restless leg syndrome.

When sleep eludes him, Dr Bhupesh whiles away the hours imagining stories or watching YouTube. Sometimes, the critical care specialist from Pauri Garhwal reads books to fall asleep. But nothing seems to work. The 47-year-old suffers from Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease. “RLS is a common sensorimotor neurological disorder characterised by an urge to move the legs due to unpleasant sensations,” explains Dr Sanjay Pandey, head of neurology, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad. The symptoms are usually worse in the evening. “It takes me around an hour or even longer to fall asleep,” says Bhupesh. He cannot sleep through the night because of the urge to move his legs and hardly wakes up refreshed. There are times when he has had to request for an exchange of duty.

Due to missing and interrupted sleep, he had severe headaches a few years ago and was put on prophylactic treatment. Prophylactic drugs can be nauseating. “I’d still take it because missing a single dose meant missing a night’s sleep,” he says. RLS progresses slowly. “Initially, only my lower limbs were involved,” says Bhupesh. “Later on, I had unpleasant sensations in my upper limbs as well.” RLS is twice as prevalent in women than in men. In more than 50 per cent patients, positive family history is reported. “The strong familial component has led to decades of genetic research in RLS and now it is considered a complex genetic disease,” says Pandey. Bhupesh’s mother and a maternal uncle, too, had RLS.

In 85 per cent of patients, sleep disturbances with periodic limb movement (PLM) are reported. The reported prevalence of RLS during pregnancy ranged from 11.3 per cent to 19 per cent and is reported to be highest in the third trimester. “Also, in many studies, the prevalence of RLS is reported to be strongly associated with the number of children that a woman had given birth to,” says Pandey. “These studies should be replicated in India, considering the high birth rate in many parts of the country.”

Some of the risk factors for RLS include Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arterial hypertension and depression. Lower levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, can also cause RLS. Also, in some conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia, renal insufficiency and pregnancy, RLS can severely affect both the health condition and quality of life, says Pandey. “The role of iron therapy in the management of RLS is interesting and important in the Indian context, where iron deficiency anaemia is more prevalent, especially in pregnant women,” he says. “In the long term, most patients report inadequate treatment response.” The diagnosis of RLS remains clinical only. In patients presenting with symptoms of PLM, polysomnography (sleep study) may be required. “Formerly, the dopaminergic treatment was considered to be the first line. However, recent studies have shown that they are associated with a serious worsening of symptoms known as augmentation,” says Pandey. Drugs like pregabalin, gabapentin, opioids have provided better treatment options. Yoga helps relieve RLS symptoms, says Bhupesh. “Since I started doing yoga, my sleep quality has improved a lot,” he says, “and dystonia (a movement disorder causing the muscles to contract involuntarily) has gone completely.”

NIGHTMARES

Hamlet was haunted by “bad dreams”. So was Jay, a 17-year-old university student. His dreams were vivid. They were mostly about being stared at by a dead dog and a man dying of starvation. “The dog had monstrous and gothic features,” he recalls. Jay would dread going to bed and would stay up as long as he could.

As sleep deprivation started taking a toll on his health, Jay sought help. Psychological testing revealed that while taking the train to college, Jay had seen the dead body of a starved man at a railway station. “When he reached college, he again encountered the dead body of a dog who had died due to an infection. Since that day, he started having nightmares,” says Dr Manish Kumar Verma, professor of psychology, School of Humanities, Lovely Professional University, Punjab.

Systematic desensitisation and thought restructuring helped Jay get rid of his nightmares. “The main object of fear was identified as the death of the dog,” says Verma. “A hierarchy of fear was constructed using SUDS (Subjective Units of Distress Scale).” Jay was then taught box breathing, a deep breathing technique wherein you breathe in for four seconds, hold, breathe out and then hold for the same number of counts. He was also taught to redefine his thoughts for the dog and transform his feelings of guilt and fear into sympathy.

In our everyday life, we come across various scenarios that have an impact on our well-being. “Emotionally sensitive individuals are hit harder than their counterparts,” says Verma. “Especially individuals who lack immediate family and peer support after a traumatising incident.” The fear of being ridiculed or labelled as vulnerable often prevents them from sharing their concerns with others. “Letting your emotions out and sharing your concerns with your loved ones are very essential for maintaining mental health and well-being,” says Verma.

HYPERSOMNIA

Waking up tired: Danielle Klaus Hulshizer with her husband Scot. She has hypersomnia.

Danielle Klaus Hulshizer, a grade 1 teacher from Alpharetta, Georgia, does not hear the alarm ring in the morning. Her husband, Scot, has to force her out of the bed. Danielle, 43, suffers from hypersomnia. Sleep is not restorative for people with this condition. “They could sleep for two days straight and still be just as tired the following day,” says Scot, who has worked with the Hypersomnia Foundation in the US. Hypersomnia often manifests as inability to stay awake and consequently doze off in the middle of situations when one should be awake, such as at work, while driving, and in social circumstances, says Dr Lancelot Mark Pinto, consultant pulmonologist and epidemiologist, P.D. Hinduja Hospital and MRC, Mumbai. “We usually diagnose this as a medical condition if it persists for more than three months,” he says. It is important to ensure that the excessive daytime sleepiness is not merely a reflection of poor sleep at night, which is a common cause.

One of the major elements of hypersomnia is brain fog. “Stimulants can keep you awake, but the cognitive issues remain unsolved,” says Scot. “For instance, being unable to find the right word or slower processing of information. Brain fog is similar to coming out from under general anaesthesia. It is virtually identical to the cognitive symptoms of ‘long Covid’. Individuals with hypersomnia have always suffered with this to varying degrees.” Most trials on patients with hypersomnia, he adds, have focused on tackling cognitive issues. Certain disorders causing hypersomnolence such as narcolepsy, Klein Levin syndrome and idiopathic hypersomnolence have a genetic component, says Pinto. Hypersomnia caused by genetic conditions is often treated with a combination of rigorous sleep hygiene and stimulant medications during the day. Scheduled naps during the day have also shown to help such individuals. Epworth sleepiness scale, a questionnaire easily available online, is a useful tool for those suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness. Pinto says ensuring good sleep hygiene is the first step toward knowing the cause of the hypersomnolence. A good sleep hygiene includes sleeping at the same time every day for at least eight hours, avoiding caffeine/nicotine intake and avoiding bright lights or devices at night. Also, one should rule out psychiatric and medical conditions or medications. Danielle has tried a number of monitoring devices like wearables and an Apple Watch. She is grateful to have had the opportunity to have been part of several experimental treatments. But looking back, she says they tend to wane in efficacy over the years. She, however, hopes that someday she will be able to lead a normal life.

INSOMNIA

Elusive sleep: Sudha was on sleeping pills for years before starting treatment for insomnia.

Sudha, 58, from Mysuru would get anxious when sleep eluded her. “I used to have severe headaches hampering my productivity,” she recalls. She complained of both sleep onset and sleep maintenance for years and was on several sleeping pills. Despite taking the pills, she would barely get six hours of sleep. “And that too was not restful. I wish no one had to face this trauma,” she says. With every passing night, she got anxiety on whether she would get sleep or not. The anxiety was a perpetuating factor for her insomnia, and it further led to depression.

Sudha saw quite a few doctors who prescribed sedatives. When those didn’t work, she visited Dr Satyanarayana Mysore, head of pulmonology, Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru. “We went through insomnia 3P protocol. There are sleep questionnaires available but are rarely used in India. Some of them are quite helpful in looking at predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors and other risk factors for insomnia,” says Mysore. After a detailed evaluation, Sudha underwent a sleep study. “In this particular sleep study, we looked at the amount of dream sleep vs non dream sleep,” says Mysore. “All the three stages of non-dream sleep were looked into, [as were] any factors that increased the arousal response in the brain cortex and whether there was any restless leg syndrome, fragmentation of sleep and effect of medications.” The sleep study is performed in conjunction with the clinical profile of the patient and also the psychological history that would have been elicited. Sudha’s sleeping pills were tapered down. “Non-pharmacological steps that are very crucial including sleep restriction therapy, management of insomniac spells at night, sleep hygiene measures and avoiding daytime sleepiness were all discussed,” recalls Mysore. Advances in management of insomnia offer much hope for people with insomnia. “Now there is a standardised approach which was not there in the past,” says Mysore. “Sleep psychologists can help those with insomnia. Questionnaires are good enough to reveal perpetuating or precipitating factors. Polysomnography is now getting refined. Medications, cognitive behavioural therapy, stimulus control strategy, desensitisation therapies and behavioural modification programmes are also offered to patients with insomnia.” Before prescribing medicines, a proper evaluation needs to be done, says Mysore. “It will reveal whether the patient needs lifestyle changes and dietary and weight loss strategies,” he says.

https://www.theweek.in/health/cover/2022/11/25/sleep-disorders-problems-causes-solutions.html

NHS advice on coping with a bad dream, nightmares and insomnia as lockdown continues to affect sleep

From dailypost.co.uk/news

'Coronasomnia' has even been coined in response to the impact of the pandemic on our sleeping patterns

Everyone has a restless night at some point, although you may have found this happening more often recently.

The pandemic has disrupted all aspects of life, so it's no surprise that our sleep has also been affected. There was increased Google search interest for "sleep" and "insomnia" last month, with recent data suggesting that the term "dream" is now at an all-time high in the UK as well.

It appears that the impact of coronavirus has indirectly altered the patterns and the quality of sleep.

In fact, the term "coronasomnia" has even been coined to refer to sleep trouble during the pandemic.

With this in mind, we've reviewed NHS information to provide some remedies to help deal with this.

Of course, it's not a substitute for direct medical advice, but these are tips for insomnia and dreams.

Insomnia

Insomnia refers to the inability to fall asleep as well as being unable to stay asleep during the night.

Most of us have experienced it at some point and it can often be the result of stress or poor health.

The NHS website offers a number of tips for reducing difficulties falling asleep, primarily suggesting that a regular bedtime routine can help tackle insomnia in many circumstances.

Firstly, you might want to consider keeping a sleep diary as this may uncover habits or activities that are contributing to your sleeplessness - which can then be dealt with directly.

In general though, a positive routine towards bedtime will adhere to the following pieces of NHS advice:

• Keep to regular 'going to bed' and 'wake up' times

• Reduce temperature, light and noise in the bedroom

• Avoid using electronic devices an hour before sleep

And there are a number of measures you can take prior to heading to bed, which may be of further benefit.

For example, whilst the NHS promotes moderate exercise on a regular basis throughout the day, it encourages avoiding excessive exercise too close to bedtime - as it may actually keep you awake.

It also recommends cutting down caffeine intake in the evening, as this stimulant "interferes with the process of falling asleep" and can prevent deep sleep. Instead, consider milk or herbal tea before bed.

You shouldn't "over-indulge" in eating or alcohol consumption at night either, with the NHS further warning against taking nicotine-based products in the hours leading up to sleep.

The hours before bed should instead be spent relaxing "your mind and body," such as by having a warm bath, listening to quiet music or doing some gentle yoga - rather than watching TV or exercising.

If you often lie in bed thinking, or worrying, about the next day then it's also advisable to set time aside before bedtime to go over any plans for tomorrow - to reduce the need for you to do so whilst trying to sleep.

The NHS further states that if you're struggling to fall asleep, you shouldn't lie in bed worrying about this. If you're awake for more than 20 minutes at night, consider getting up and doing something to relax until you feel sleepy again - which should hopefully lead to a better night's sleep.

And the NHS has also recently encouraged keeping the bedroom for sleep and intimacy, where possible.

With many of us now working from home, it's possible that your bedroom acts as your temporary office.

According to experts, you may want to rethink this setting, as the bedroom may become associated with stress and anxiety - making it harder to switch off at bedtime.

Nightmares

You may find that even if you are managing to fall asleep easily, that your sleep is disrupted by bad dreams.

The increase in searches about dreams and nightmares suggests that lots of people are experiencing this.

The NHS recently published information on this, specifically for those recovering from coronavirus itself.

Its advice however may be beneficial to anyone struggling with bad dreams, even if you haven't had the virus, so it's worth at least trying out the technique to see if it provides any comfort.

The technique for managing the effects of nightmares is known as The Dream Completion Technique.

According to the NHS, the technique requires you to first think about your most recent experience of bad sleep, specifically focusing on the moment where you woke up.

Consider what you'd want to happen next in the dream that would make you feel positive or better.

It's about finding "a new direction for the dream to take," with the NHS reminding that the same rules as real life don't apply so your imagined solution doesn't need to be realistic or believable.

The solution should then be written down, read back and you should imagine the different ending.

The NHS explained: "Your dreams themselves may or may not change through this technique, but you can reduce their power over you by changing the ending of the dreams when you awake."

If you continue to struggle with sleeping after trying the technique - or the previously mentioned tips - then you should consider making an appointment with your GP to discuss further options.

This may include short-term medication or psychological therapy to deal with insomnia or any other issues.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/health/nhs-advice-coping-bad-dream-19799367

Nightmares Only Become More Prevalent With Age: 3 Tips To Prevent Them

From mindbodygreen.com

Nightmares are no fun. They're scary, they wake you up, and according to new research published in Sleep Medicine, they become more prevalent later in life. Here's what the research says, plus how to avoid nightmares going forward.

Studying nightmares in older adults 

This study, conducted by a team of researchers in Korea, aimed to look at nightmares specifically within elderly populations. They had 2,940 participants with an average age of 63 fill out questionnaires about nightmares, as well as sleep quality, stress, and depression.

In the sample of elderly folks over 50 years old, 2.7% reported experiencing nightmares. In the group over 70, that percentage jumped to 6.3%, which the study authors call "significantly higher." And on top of that, those who experienced nightmares had "significantly more sleep problems, higher suicidal ideation, depression, and stress compared to the non-nightmare group," the research notes.

Additional research also indicates insomnia becomes more prevalent with age, too, highlighting the importance of sleep hygiene for older populations in particular.

3 tips for preventing nightmares and getting better sleep

While it might seem impossible to control the kinds of dreams you have while you're asleep, there are preventive measures you can take to sleep more soundly, and hopefully, avoid the nightmares:

1. Try a magnesium supplement.

To help achieve deeper sleep, consider trying a magnesium supplement, like mbg's magnesium. In one small trial, magnesium helped patients manage insomnia symptoms, fall asleep faster, and stay asleep longer across the board.* Additional research has also shown the mineral could be helpful in easing stress.

According to physician Robert Rountree, M.D., "For those who fall asleep OK but awaken during the night, I recommend taking the magnesium immediately before getting into bed," to help support a steadier sleep.

2. Check your thermostat.

Research shows that warmer temps in your bedroom can lead to fitful and nightmarish sleep. As holistic psychiatrist and sleep expert Ellen Vora, M.D., previously explained to mbg, "The optimal temperature for sleep is considered 65 degrees Fahrenheit."

3. Avoid eating before bed.

And lastly, if you're a late-night snacker and find that you're experiencing nightmares, it might be time to ditch the habit. Research shows the foods we eat, particularly before bed, can influence our sleep quality—and result in some weird dreams. Nightmares aside, eating before bed can lead to weight gain, indigestion while sleeping, and a myriad of other health issues.

The bottom line 

No one wants to be woken up in the middle of the night by a bad dream. And not only that, but sleep is crucial to our overall well-being. Knowing that nightmares can become more persistent as we get older, it's important we take steps to set ourselves up for a good night's sleep, particularly as we age, so we can sleep through the night and give our bodies the deep rest they need.

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/nightmares-get-more-prevalent-with-ageheres-how-to-prevent-them