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How to cope with nightmares this Halloween. Dr Deborah Lee, sleep expert from Doctor Fox working with Get Laid Beds, has shared her tips for dealing with bad dreams. 4-7-8 method This is a tactic for managing stress and anxiety and helps counteract the stress response that has been triggered by your bad dream. ”First, you need to breathe in for four seconds. Then, hold your breath for seven seconds. Once the first two steps are done, exhale for eight seconds. It should help activate the parasympathetic nervous system and calm you down.” Somatic mindfulness This mindful activity helps calm the nervous system by directing your attention to what your body is experiencing. ”This includes everything that might come from a nightmare including thoughts, movements, signals and emotions coming to the surface.” Avoid looking at your phone Looking at your phone, or any sort of blue light, is a big no-no whether you've had a nightmare or not. “Even if it's just to check the time, try and avoid looking at your phone full-stop. You will get tempted to doom-scroll, flooding your mind with other distractions from sleeping and it'll be much harder to get back to sleep, especially after a nightmare.” Distract your mind Instead of picking up your phone, try focusing on something less stimulating, such as a book. ”Read something relaxing, that isn't a thriller or a horror as that could trigger your anxiety, or get out of bed, or maybe play some white noise as you drift off to take your mind off your nightmare.” Keep a journal If you have recurring nightmares, keeping a journal can help you get to the bottom of what triggers them. "Writing a daily journal of your thoughts, feeling, food and alcohol intake will help you spot patterns that are leading towards bad dreams.”
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