No one likes being jolted awake from a deep sleep, especially when what riled you up was an assailant, a snake in the bed, or being engulfed by flames. Bad dreams—or worse, nightmares—aren’t just annoying; when reoccurring, they can disrupt a good night’s sleep, and sometimes, life.

    On the spectrum of dreams, missing an important exam or showing up naked to work pales in comparison to nightmares, which are defined as bad dreams that wake the sleeper. They occur during rapid eye movement (REM) late in the evening and because we jerk awake during them, we usually remember all too clearly the fear, anxiety, and horrors.

    Though more common among children, nightmares and bad dreams happen throughout life. But is there anything we can do to prevent the bad things from creeping into our sleep?

    1. Anxiety and Stress

    Anxiety and stress, often as the result of a traumatic life event, are sometimes the cause of nightmares and bad dreams. According to the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD), a major surgery or illness, grieving over the loss of a loved one, and suffering or witnessing an assault or major accident can trigger bad dreams and nightmares. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is also a common cause of recurrent nightmares.

    Not all nightmare triggers have to be traumatic, however. Everyday stressors, such as job or financial anxiety, or major life transitions such as moving or divorce, can also cause nightmares.

    2. Spicy Foods

    When and what we eat may affect our nighttime rest, if not our tendency toward bad dreams. A small study published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology had a group of healthy men eat spicy meals before bed on some evenings and compared their quality of sleep on nights where they had non-spiced meals. On the spicy nights, the subjects spent more time awake and had poorer quality sleep. The explanation is that spicy food can elevate body temperatures and thus disrupt sleep. This may also be the reason why some people report bad dreams when they eat too close to bedtime. Though few studies have looked at it, eating close to bedtime increases metabolism and brain activity and may prompt bad dreams or nightmares.

    3. Fat Content of Food

    Though far from conclusive, some research has indicated that the more high-fat food you consume during the day, the greater the chance that the amount and quality of your sleep may suffer. A small study published in 2007 in Psychological Reports found that the dreams of people who ate a high amount of organic food differed from those who ate “junk foods.” The authors hypothesize that certain foods may negatively influence dreaming.

    4. Alcohol

    Though alcohol is a depressant that will help you fall asleep in the short term, once its effects wear off, it can cause you to wake up prematurely. Excess consumption can also lead to nightmares and bad sleep; nightmares are also a common occurrence for those going through alcohol withdrawal.

    5. Drugs

    Some drugs, including antidepressants, barbiturates, and narcotics, can cause nightmares as a side effect. For instance, a 2008 study published in the journal Pyschopharmacology looked at ketamine, a drug used in anesthesia and recreationally, and found that compared with a placebo, ketamine use resulted in more dream unpleasantness and increased the incidence of bad dreams. Similarly, anyone who has traveled to a country where malaria is endemic may have taken Lariam and had some interesting nightmares associated with it. Nightmares usually cease once the drug is cleared from the system.

    6. Illness

    Illnesses that include fever, such as the flu, can often trigger nightmares. And other sleeping disorders, including apnea and narcolepsy, may also increase the incidence of bad dreams and nightmares.

    While bad dreams and nightmares are considered normal responses in dealing with everyday experiences, the IASD recommends consultation with a therapist if they last in intensity and severity. But trying to eliminate these six factors first may be the best place to start in your quest to sweeten your dreams and chase the nighttime demons away.

    沒有人愿意在熟睡中被弄醒,尤其是被一個攻擊者,床上一條蛇,或者被火焰吞噬而驚醒。糟糕的夢-更甚者, 噩夢遠不止令人厭煩,當再次發生的時候,他們不光擾亂了一個美好夜晚的睡眠, 甚至有時候影響到生活。

    在夢的不同類型中, 與噩夢相比, 錯過一個重要的考試或者裸體出現在同事面前并把睡者驚醒的夢稱作糟糕的夢。這種夢一般發生在半夜,還伴隨著眼睛快速的轉動, 而且由于我們會從夢中突然醒來, 所以我們經常能清楚的記得夢中的憂慮,不安和恐懼。

    雖說小孩經常做噩夢和糟糕的夢, 但是他們會伴隨我們一生.有什么辦法能擺脫這些闖入睡眠的糟糕夢呢?

    1. 焦慮和壓力

    焦慮和壓力常常是由生活中外傷引起的, 有時候也會成為噩夢和糟糕夢的源頭。根據國際睡夢研究協會的一項研究,一個大手術或一場大病, 因失去所愛的人而悲痛,遭遇或者目擊了一次傷害或一場事故都會導致糟糕夢和噩夢的發生。外傷性神經失調也是造成噩夢不斷的普遍原因。

    不是所有噩夢都是一些外傷造成的, 然而, 每天的壓力, 比如工作和經濟上帶來的憂慮, 或者生活的變遷, 比如搬家, 離婚都會引發噩夢的產生。

    2. 辛辣食物

    睡前什么時間吃的什么也會影響到我們的夜間休息, 如果不常常做糟糕夢的話。發表于《國際精神心理學》雜志的一項小型報告對一組健康男性進行了測試, 讓他們在一些晚上睡前吃一些辛辣的東西, 并將睡眠質量與沒吃辛辣食物的時候進行了對比。吃辛辣食物的晚上他們醒著的時間較長, 睡眠質量也較差，原因是辛辣食物會提升體溫而影響睡眠。這個原因也能解釋為什么有的人說在臨睡前吃的太多的時候會做糟糕的夢。雖然也有一些研究表明在越接近睡覺的時候吃東西會增強新陳代謝,加強大腦活動,從而引起了糟糕的夢或噩夢。

    3. 食物中的脂肪

    雖然還沒有一個定論, 一些研究已經表明白天的吃的食物脂肪越高, 睡不好覺的機率越高, 質量越差。《心理學報告》在2007年的研究發現吃了較多有機食物的人的睡眠與那些吃了“垃圾食品”的人的不同。該研究作者強調說某些食物會對做夢產生負面影響。

    4. 酒精

    盡管酒精跟鎮靜劑一樣在短時間內會幫助你入睡, 但一旦鎮定作用失效了, 它會讓你較早醒來。飲酒過量也會導致噩夢和糟糕的睡眠；對于那些戒掉酒的人來說, 噩夢也是會經常發生的。

    5. 藥物

    一些藥物,包括抗抑郁劑, 巴比妥酸和麻醉劑, 作為副作用也能導致噩夢。例如, 2008年《精神藥理學》雜志對克他命(一種用于壞夢的發生機率麻醉和保健的藥物)進行的研究發現與安慰劑相比, 使用可他命會導致夢中更多的不快, 提升噩夢發生的機率。同理, 任何一個去一個發生瘧疾的國家旅行的人吃了甲氟喹后,就會做一些與之有關的噩夢。通常, 藥效失效的時候噩夢也會隨之消失。

    6. 疾病

    疾病包括發燒在內, 比如流感, 經常能引起噩夢。其他的睡眠失常, 包括呼吸暫停和猝睡癥, 都會導致糟糕夢和噩夢的發生。

    在看待日常經歷時候,糟糕夢和噩夢通常被認為是種正常反映。如果它們不斷加劇逐漸惡化,國際睡夢研究協會建議向醫生咨詢。但是首先努力去擺脫這6個因素是開始將夢境變甜，驅走夜間惡魔的最好方法。