Can Anxiety Cause Nightmares?

Can Anxiety Cause Nightmares? (Answered!)

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Experiencing anxiety is certainly associated with a higher chance of nightmares and bad dreams. Dreams are often thought to be the brain working its way through events and stresses of the day, so on days of added stress, you are more likely to experience unpleasant dreams.

 

So, the simple answer is yes—anxiety can cause nightmares.

The stresses of everyday life, manifested as outright anxiety or even just in their own right, can be one of the leading causes of unpleasant dreams and nightmares.

But there are things you can do about it—read on to find out more.

Can Anxiety Cause Nightmares?

What is an anxiety nightmare?

Anxiety dreams or anxiety nightmares are basically just what they sound like.

They are dreams and nightmares brought on by waking anxiety.

Anxiety can be a rather broad term.

It describes both a simple emotion that many of us feel every day.

But it can also describe a debilitating mental health condition which can fundamentally get in the way of quality of life.

Either way, though, persistent anxiety can cause bad dreams and nightmares.

These nightmares can take any number of forms, and will be extremely specific to the individual.

There are many classic dreams you hear of all the time which could be anxiety dreams—your teeth falling out, being in an exam without having studied.

These dreams are usually associated with some form of stress.

That’s the keyword, really: stress.

Anxiety is a manifestation of stress, worry about something, whether it’s in the past or in the future.

Though the science of dreams is one where there is still a huge amount to learn, the idea that dreams are your brain unraveling your waking worries and concerns is one that holds a lot of water.

Let’s look into why these dreams occur.

 

Why do anxiety nightmares occur?

Firstly, as I said, there is still a great deal that we don’t understand about dreaming in the first place.

Our best theories about why dreams occur at all are still just theories.

Anxiety nightmares in particular, though, may shed some light on the nature of dreaming.

One leading theory about why we dream is that dreams help you to sort out important from unimportant memories.

They help you to store relevant and useful information—which also involves how to work through complicated emotions.

So, anxiety nightmares, unpleasant as they may be, are most likely your brain’s way of attempting to sort through these difficult thoughts and feelings while asleep.

This helps you understand why some dreams are so unpleasant.

Complex emotions like anxiety don’t tend to go away on their own—they need to be worked through.

Just as a caveat, though, as I said, we don’t completely understand why dreams occur. But this is one of our best theories.

So, the all-important question—how do you rid yourself of these unpleasant dreams?

 

How do you get rid of anxiety nightmares?

There is no simple fix, unfortunately.

It’s going to consist of a lot of little steps that go together to give your mind the best chance of having a relaxed sleep.

The first thing I would suggest is a strict wake-sleep schedule.

Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.

This is the first step to getting your brain into a good, relaxed schedule.

Managing your anxiety throughout the day will be your next most important step.

There are lots of things you can do depending on the severity of your anxiety.

Basic things you can try include relaxation techniques such as meditation and light yoga, coupled with aromatherapy, for example.

These are great ways to give your brain a chance to unpack feelings while you’re awake.

If your anxiety is more severe, though, you may wish to look into professional help.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a really great way to manage anxiety.

One thing is for sure, though: it will be a process, and not an instant cure.

 

Can anxiety cause night terrors?

They are certainly far less common, and documented cases of such are quite rare.

Nonetheless, if your dreams are becoming more and more unmanageable, they could eventually manifest as waking night terrors.

Night terrors tend to occur mostly in children, though.

This could, nonetheless, still be rooted in anxiety.

If you are experiencing regular night terrors which seem to be associated with heightened anxiety, then you may want to speak to a professional at the soonest opportunity.

 

So, if your anxiety is causing unpleasant dreams, then you aren’t alone.

There are many things you can do to mitigate the effects of nightmares and anxiety, as terrible as they may sometimes seem.

Anxiety is a terrible thing that affects huge numbers of the human population, but this just means that we have, as a species, come up with countless different methods for treating it.

If you’re suffering from anxiety nightmares, there is plenty of things you can do to help the situation.

 

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