How do you calm down after a nightmare?

I'm lucky enough not to have them anymore. When I did, I looked at what I was eating and drinking though the day and for me they seemed to be caused by caffeine too late in the day, so I stopped that and they went away.

by Sarah Bell

Aside from the caffeine was there anything else that you found triggered them?

Depends on how bad the nightmare was. Sometimes I am still very sleepy and can just roll over and get back to sleep. Other times, the nightmare can be really upsetting and I might need to get out of bed, grab a water or read a book. Just something to take my mind off it.

by helenonthesofa

If it was extremely scary, I would turn on a bedside light, grab a drink and do some things to keep my mind off of it and calm down. If it wasn't that scary, I would just, as helenonthesofa sofa said, roll over and go back to sleep.

by dream

I don't have too many nightmares that make me scared. I do have bad dreams from time to time, but they tend to revolve around fictitious disagreements with friends. Then I wake up in the morning feeling grumpy rather than scared.

If I'm ever spooked in the middle of the night I'll sometimes watch an episode of a 'Happy' TV show like Community. Something lighthearted like that will usually take my mind off things.

by Natasha Stewart

Not that I've had many nightmares, but when and if it happens, I am just too glad to realise I was just having a nightmare, I change sleeping position, and go right back to sleep. Getting up and trying to shake off the bad dream will also shake off sleep, so before I get to the level of wakeful alertness, I close my eyes and continue my interrupted sleep.

by Manny

If I have one, (9 times out of 10 it's a bad one).
I get up,move around and focus on something else straight away.

by jonaja

Ooops once again not my fault :( sorry.

If I have one, (9 times out of 10 it's a bad one).
I get up,move around and focus on something else straight away.

by jonaja