Sleep.org says that dreams can be made of literally anything and you can’t control them. They can be magical or terrifying. A lot of dreams can be about something that you’re worried about, or something that’s recently happened in your life. Some things that are icons for good things in your life are stairs, hugs, and even dreaming of our galaxy.

Usually when you dream of good things, you wake up feeling refreshed, even happy, and it might put you in a good state of mind for the rest of the day. That being said, it works the same way with bad dreams. Nightmare, night terror, and incubus all mean the same thing: that you’re going to have a long night, and a long next day. Just like good dreams, nightmares reflect what is going on around you in your life during the day. If you’re stressed, sad, mad, or even if someone around you is feeling those things, it can affect your dream behaviors. Another thing that can change your sleep behavior is excessive drug and alcohol use, then withdrawing from your addictive substances. This causes your brain to lash out (according to dream dictionary.org). 

The word nightmare originated from the years 1150-1500, and yourdictionary.com says that a nightmare was believed to be an evil spirit or witch that loomed over sleeping people and suffocated them with their bad auras causing their brains to lash out in their sleep. Without a doubt, nightmares are the hardest part of sleep itself. After watching a scary movie, or walking home late at night, your mind tends to wander  letting you think what could happen if the movie you watched was based on a true story, or what could happen if someone had followed you home on your walk. One thing that many people can agree on is that the mind is a confusing place, and while you’re sleeping, you’re even more susceptible  to strange happenings than any other time of day. 

If you are constantly having good dreams you probably have a good, healthy, lifestyle. If you have constant nightmares, then something is off about your day to day schedule, such as anxiety, the loss of a job, or someone close to you passing away. In order to establish a good sleep schedule you should go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every night and morning. You should avoid exercising right before bed as well or eating sugary or chocolate foods. 

Although a lot of nightmares have reasons behind them, a lot of people suffer from nightly nightmares for no reason at all. According to ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America) roughly 40 million Americans suffer from nightmares caused by Sleep Anxiety. Sleep Anxiety is caused by anything and everything. It is even caused by nothing at times. Sleep Anxiety in layman’s terms is:

• Not being able to fall asleep quickly
• Not being able to wake up easily
• Falling asleep too late in the evening
• Waking up early in the morning
• Stress
• Anxiety outside the home
• Depression
• Death of a loved one
• Mental and physical illnesses 
• PTSD

If you are suffering from nightmares caused by any of the above, every single night, then chances are you have Sleep Anxiety. There are quite a few treatments, but you should talk to your doctor before trying any of them.