How to Avoid Dreaming While Sleeping

Whether you’re trying to work through your nightmares or just want to dream less, there are steps you can take to avoid dreaming. Relaxation techniques or meditation before bed can provide you with dream-free sleep. Adjusting your lifestyle and bedtime routines can also help you sleep better and experience less vivid or distressing dreams. With time and patience, you can prevent dreams from occurring during sleep or limit the emotional impact of dreams.

Table of Contents

Create dreamless sleep

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Practice meditation so that the feeling of relaxation puts you into dream-free sleep. Deep meditation can help you relax your mind, providing a peaceful, dream-free sleep as you gradually drift off to sleep. Try practicing meditation while your body is drifting off to sleep to increase your chances of a deep, restful sleep. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Meditation involves focusing the mind on a word, thought, or feeling in order to achieve a stronger state of consciousness or serenity.
Vipassana meditation is especially effective when you’re coaxing into sleep at night.
Try stretching and deep breathing to reduce stress, which is a factor in nightmares.

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Don’t care about dreams after dreams. If you keep thinking about your dreams, they will reappear with the same theme or emotion. When you wake up, try to distract yourself with work or other activities instead of brooding over your dream. ^{[2] X Research Source}

The less you think about your dreams, the easier they will fade over time.
This does not apply to nightmares, as discovering the dream’s meaning can prevent it from recurring. Make a quick note of the nightmare you just had when you wake up.

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Timer alarm during daytime nap. If you want to take a nap during the day and don’t want to daydream, set your alarm for about 30-45 minutes. As such, you may wake up before entering REM sleep, the stage when dreams occur most often. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

This method should not be applied at night, when your body needs REM sleep to regain strength for the next day.

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Talk to your doctor about taking sleeping pills, if necessary. There are a number of medications that help reduce the intensity and frequency of dreams if you often experience vivid dreams. Make a note of your dream manifestations and medical history to discuss with your doctor the best treatment plan.

Tell your doctor about any medications you take, as some can cause lucid dreams or distress.

Prevent nightmares

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Make your bedroom a comfortable place to relax. To prevent nightmares, your bedroom should only be used for one purpose: sleeping. Avoid stressful activities like work or dealing with personal problems in the bedroom so that you can go to sleep in a lighthearted mood. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

A comfortable mattress and soft bedding can also help you relax and reduce feelings of stress.
The more confused your mind is when you go to sleep, the more likely you are to have nightmares.

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Lie on your right side instead of the left. Sleeping position can affect the quality of dreams, and people who sleep on their left side are more likely to have nightmares. If you regularly experience nightmares, try sleeping on your right side for more pleasant dreams. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Although people who sleep on their right side have fewer nightmares, they also often report lower quality of sleep.

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Avoid spicy, starchy or sugary foods before bed. These foods can irritate the stomach and cause strange and heavy dreams. If you feel hungry at night, eat something light like some cherries, rice, or sweet potatoes. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Avoid large meals before bed, as the stomach can become irritated when there is too much undigested food and can cause nightmares or restless sleep. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Try to interpret the dream. When you wake up from a painful dream, seek out the meaning of the dream to help you understand it and work through the nightmare. Think about what the dream might represent in your life to better understand the dream and prevent it from happening again. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

If you dreamed that you failed a math exam, this dream may indicate that you are overloaded with studies. You should talk to your teacher to find out how to better control the amount of work.
Try searching online for symbols in dream interpretation sites if you can’t find what it means.

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Relive recurring nightmares to resolve them. If you are struggling with recurring nightmares, try to visualize the dream again and let the visions go through your head one at a time. Before reaching the climax of the nightmare, edit the events in it to change and address the scary situation. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Keep a dream diary and write down the ending of the nightmare. You can even read the dream aloud with a new ending before going to bed to control the dream story.
If you have a recurring dream of wearing only your underwear in the office, for example, imagine that you are wearing your underwear in your car and are changing into your work clothes before you arrive at work.

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Talk to a psychologist if nightmares are affecting your sleep. If nightmares keep you awake or anxious, you may need professional help to get through it. Make an appointment with a psychologist or therapist to gradually reduce your nightmares. ^{[10] X Research Source}

You should also see your doctor, as there are some sleep disorders and medications that can cause recurring nightmares. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Find more peaceful sleep

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Avoid consuming caffeine, nicotine or alcoholic beverages before bedtime. Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol can all stimulate the nervous system and disrupt the sleep cycle. Do not consume these substances at least 5-6 hours before you want to fall asleep. ^{[12] X Trusted Source Harvard Medical Schop Go to Source}

If you take these substances in the evening, try not to empty your stomach, because then their effects will be stronger.

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Include physical activity in your weekly schedule. Regular physical activity promotes health and helps you sleep more comfortably. Try to exercise at least 2-3 sessions per week lasting about 30-60 minutes, especially on nights when you want a good night’s sleep. ^{[13] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

Try to schedule exercise no later than 1-2 hours before bed, as physical activity before bedtime can stimulate the body to make you more alert.

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Adhere to the correct bedtime. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This will train the body to fall asleep faster when it’s time to sleep without having to toss for long. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Recommended sleep time is 7-8 hours per night. Try to get enough sleep so that your body can rest and wake up healthy the next morning.

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Turn off all electronic devices before going to bed. Bright screens can trick the brain into thinking it’s morning and disturb the sleep cycle. Turn off electronic devices at least 1 hour before going to bed to have a peaceful sleep. ^{[15] X Research Source}

If you have an alarm clock in your room, use an analog clock instead of a clock with a blacklit display if you have trouble sleeping.

Advice

Among those who rarely dream while sleeping, many still have dreams but cannot remember them when they wake up in the morning. These techniques may reduce the likelihood of remembering dreams or experiencing unpleasant dreams, but may not eliminate them completely. ^{[16] X Research Source}
Instead of eliminating dreams, another way to get over your annoying dreams is to control them with conscious dreaming. Try conscious dreaming if you want a higher level of self-awareness during sleep. ^{[17] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to source}

Warning

Although dreamless sleeps are usually harmless, frequent occurrence of dreamless sleep has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Although the chances are very low, you should keep this in mind when looking for ways to regularly have dreamless sleep. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

Steps

Create dreamless sleep

Prevent nightmares

Find more peaceful sleep

Advice

Warning

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