Treatment: How to stop nightmares? Medications and lifestyle interventions

In this case, treatment may include routine changes or pharmacology. Adherence to bedtime routine is very important, especially for children. Of course, it is difficult to influence the child's perception and experience of the whole day.

An adult can use various relaxation techniques or unwinding after a hard day. In case of long-term stress, one might want to seek psychological help or undergo a psychiatric examination in case of neurotic or depressive disorders.

Prevention is equally important. If the child wakes up, we should calm her/him. It is better for the child not to be alone, but rather with a parent. A young child does not realize the difference between reality and the content of a dream, just like an adult. It is different for older children, but they will also need the closeness of a loved one.

If these conditions recur very often, even in children, professional help is recommended, i.e. consultations with a child psychologist, neurologist or psychiatrist. Early diagnosis helps significantly in the treatment, which helps prevent complications. If the cause of the nightmare is another disease, the primary cause needs to be addressed.

Pharmacological treatments include various medications. One of the best known is the group of drugs with the active substance clonazepam. However, contraindications must be considered, as it can exacerbate sleep apnea syndrome, and it should not be used by people with dementia.

Another option is melatonin treatment. It has a low incidence of side effects and has a good therapeutic effect, slightly lower than clonazepam. In addition, there are other medications, and the choice, of course, is up to the doctor.

Bedtime routine is particularly important:

• do not eat, especially heavy meals, just before bedtime
• playing video games allegedly calms men, but has a provocative effect on women
• traumatic experiences, avoiding violence, aggression, fear
• watching TV and inappropriate content
• suitable environment, pleasant smells with a calming effect, unpleasant odours have an agitating effect, the ambient temperature, sleeping in a place other than at home
• large pillow, allegedly a high pillow is unsuitable and can cause sleep disorders, but also pain in the cervical spine
• medicine
• dream analysis
  • write down the content of the dream on paper (environment, acquaintances, objects, feelings)
  • compare it with everyday life, reflect on the situations experienced during the day, in childhood, the film just watched
  • it is important to understand and evaluate how bad dreams can be prevented
• bedtime mindfulness
• relaxation exercise, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) biofeedback
• avoiding stress, tension