A person screams in his sleep: reasons and methods for correcting this condition

Possible reasons

Long-term stress can lead to screaming in your sleep
If you are familiar with the phrase “I scream at night in my sleep,” you probably wondered what could precede such a phenomenon, what exactly contributed to your screaming at night. If we consider such manifestations in adults, the following factors may be to blame:

• nightmare;
• abrupt awakening, which led to fright;
• the result of prolonged stress - when a person is in constant stress or worries for a long time;
• taking certain medications can also affect the appearance of such a phenomenon as screaming in the middle of the night;
• bad habits can also negatively affect night's sleep;
• the consequence of a disrupted daily routine;
• long-term use of sedative medications or their abrupt withdrawal;
• the presence of conditions unsuitable for the sleeper, for example, high humidity or too high room temperature;
• the result of high body temperature is screaming during fever;
• manifestation of a neurological disorder;
• presence of mental illness.

Separately, it is worth considering two points that are often displayed in adults.

1. Scream only in the presence of other people. There are cases when a person, being in the same room or bed with a certain person, begins to scream in his sleep. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that a certain person provokes an attack of night screaming. The person does not feel safe next to him, perhaps experiencing a threat, accompanied by anxiety and irritation. At the same time, in the daytime he doesn’t even know about it. His subconscious signals in a similar non-standard way.
2. The result of alcohol abuse. Often a cry in the middle of the night is heard from a person who has taken alcohol the day before. The fact is that drinking alcohol while intoxicated is considered to be similar to anesthesia. In some parts of the cerebral cortex, inhibition occurs, resulting in a night cry.

If we consider the situation in children, the following points may occur:

• the smallest screaming through their sleep may indicate a desire to refresh themselves;
• may be a consequence of daytime impressions, which manifest themselves in a similar way in a child’s fragile nervous system;
• the consequence of watching cartoons or films before bed, which had a disturbing effect on an impressionable child.

Why do we talk in our sleep

Why does a person speak in a dream? Unfortunately, even today the reasons for the appearance of this phenomenon have not been established. A number of ongoing studies have not yielded results.

Because the opinions of scientists differ radically. Some argue that a sleeping person simply repeats the words and sentences spoken to him before going to bed. But others insist that talking in a dream is the imagination of the subconscious. Well, the third group of scientists assures that a sleeping adult is simply commenting on a dream.

But there is a group of researchers whose insight into this phenomenon is radically different from all previous ones. In their opinion, the causes of sleep-speaking may be physiological in nature and depend on lifestyle.

Characteristic manifestations

When we talk about screaming in a dream, we can consider certain situations.

1. The man speaks in a raised voice. At the same time, it seems that he is turning to someone or calling for help. Those who are nearby at this moment may get the impression that the person has awakened.
2. Loud utterances can be clear or incoherent depending on the stage of sleep.
3. The person screams, cries or waves his arms. This behavior is especially noted in the case of a nightmare or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
4. The sleeping person gets out of bed and begins to scream or ask questions. Symptoms similar to sleepwalking

Despite the fact that in most cases, night screaming is not a threat to human health or his life, there are still certain situations when this phenomenon gives cause for concern:

• daily nightmares that persist for a long time;
• the appearance of sleepwalking;
• the onset of teeth grinding;
• suffocation in sleep;
• temperature rise above 38 degrees;
• the appearance of trembling attacks during periods of calm.

It is important to understand that such manifestations may indicate serious abnormalities in the body, the presence of pathological processes. Initially, you can seek help from a neurologist; if necessary, this specialist will redirect you to a psychologist, psychotherapist or somnologist.

Remedies against night screams

It is important to understand that screaming in the middle of the night is a visual representation of the nervous system. We need to look for the reason why it happened. Perhaps there was a horror movie at night, or too much coffee was drunk. Computer games, problems with your personal life, the death of a loved one, troubles at work - all this can cause screams at night. By eliminating the cause, you will get rid of the problem.

You can help the body calm down with medications. Such as “Novo-Passit”, “Afobazol” and “Motherwort” are good at stabilizing mood and improving sleep. Don't forget about homeopathy and sedatives.

In general, of course, you can get rid of night screams only if you allow your body to throw out the accumulated negativity. For some it helps, for others it’s sports, for others it’s emotional conversation. Yoga classes, visits, and consultations with a psychologist have a good effect. The choice is up to you. It doesn't matter how you free yourself from negative emotions. The main thing is that you will do this and not suffer from night screams.

No one, perhaps, will argue with the fact that education means a lot in a person’s life. Today, in the age of scientific discoveries, computerization and nanotechnology, and fairly high competition in the labor market, strong and deep knowledge is especially necessary and important.

Of course, you need to learn, but many, realizing this, do not make any effort or effort. Many people are simply too lazy to sit in class and listen to the teacher’s explanations, and then do their homework. First of all, you need to understand that you are studying not for your parents, not so that you don’t get scolded for bad grades, but for yourself. You study and at the same time “work” for your future: you invest certain costs in your future, which will bring you certain dividends and profits.

Imagine that your future is a kind of enterprise in which, naturally, you first need to invest some money, and only then will it begin to bring you profit. This is the law. So, your knowledge, your educational activity are these means. The more and better you “invest” in your enterprise, called “My Future Life,” the more profit you will make.

How to “invest” funds and knowledge into your enterprise? First of all, train yourself to listen to the teacher in class. A lesson is a working hour, during which you should not be distracted by playing on your phone, talking with classmates, or just daydreaming. There is one simple pattern that you must understand: the more carefully and consciously you listen to the teacher, the easier it will be for you to understand new educational material and complete your homework. If you don't understand something during the teacher's explanation, don't hesitate to ask. The teacher will always explain something additional if he sees your interest in gaining knowledge.

During the lesson you need to work: complete all tasks, answer questions. Don't try to answer all the teacher's questions. Choose those that you know best

Many adults have encountered such a situation when they are told in the morning that they heard them talking or even screaming at night. People themselves can remember their night conversations in the morning, but it also happens that they didn’t even notice.

Methods of counteraction

It is important to determine the true cause that influences the appearance of night screaming. If necessary, consult a doctor if you cannot solve this problem on your own.

1. If you understand that you need to take a sedative, then it is better to seek help from a specialist who can choose a safe remedy that does not have a negative effect on the body. Your doctor may prescribe tincture of valerian or motherwort as a sedative.
2. The doctor may also prescribe nootropics - drugs that improve the functioning of the brain and also have a positive effect on normalizing sleep.
3. Physiotherapy may be prescribed along with drug therapy. Among which are noted: mud treatment, electrophoresis, relaxation baths.
4. The doctor may prescribe a multivitamin complex if he deems it necessary. He will also advise enriching your diet with foods containing magnesium, B vitamins, and tryptophan.
5. When faced with screams at night, analyze whether you have a suitable pillow for sleeping. Perhaps it’s time to change it, buy a modern orthopedic option.
6. Before going to bed, you can perform a certain ritual, namely: take a relaxing bath with the addition of herbal decoctions that have a calming effect.
7. Before going to bed, do not watch scary films that excite your nervous system. Especially if you are overly impressionable and have repeatedly noticed the connection between these phenomena. Do not sit in front of a monitor screen for a long time.
8. If you are visited by disturbing thoughts, you cannot relax, you feel excessive tension, then it is recommended to turn to Eastern practices, do yoga or meditation. You can also visit a psychologist or psychotherapist, who in their sessions will help you cope with the problem that has arisen and teach you how to relax.

If there is a neurological problem, a neurologist will help. If there is prolonged stress or nightmares, a psychologist or psychotherapist will help. If the presence of mental disorders is detected - a psychiatrist.

Treatment Options

On their own, patients can try to eliminate exposure to external irritants and use available methods of calming the nervous system. This advice is relevant if there are no warning signs. In other cases, you will need the help of a doctor. The course of therapy may include the following treatment options:

• traditional methods;
• folk recipes;
• advice from psychologists.

The treatment regimen will have to be combined with sleep hygiene. Treatment is aimed at stopping the causative factor and eliminating discomfort.

Traditional medicine

Traditional methods are used if the malfunction is difficult to eliminate simply by following the rules of healthy sleep. A somnologist prepares a course of treatment based on the results of the examination. A treatment scheme with 3 integral elements is presented:

• taking vitamin complexes;
• undergoing physiotherapeutic procedures;
• the use of drugs to calm the nervous system.

Attention! Drugs with a hypnotic effect and physiotherapy are prescribed only by the attending physician. You can only take vitamins and slightly sedative plant-based medications on your own.

Folk recipes

Traditional medicine rarely causes adverse reactions and can be easily prepared at home. It has a sedative effect thanks to lemon balm, valerian, hawthorn and other natural ingredients. The following methods are suitable for normalizing sleep:

• Herbal infusions with a sedative effect eliminate nervous excitement. The medicine is prepared from 1-2 tbsp. l. collection (hawthorn, valerian, peppermint), poured with 500 ml of boiling water. After 20 minutes of infusion, you should discard the raw materials and leave the liquid. Take ½ cup morning and evening.
• Inhaling relaxing aromas calms the nervous system. The patient needs to pour lavender, chamomile and lemon balm in equal parts into a cloth bag and place it under the pillow or next to the bed.
• Warm water with 1 tsp added. Honey perfectly relieves nervous tension. It is enough to drink 1 cup of sweet drink before bed.
• Evening foot baths allow you to relax and forget about your problems. The effect will be improved by adding essential oils, pine needles and chamomile to warm water.

Most methods are relevant for treating representatives of any age group.

Advice! If you are prone to allergies, it is advisable to consult a doctor before using folk remedies.

Recommendations from a psychologist

Screams in a dream are regarded by experts as a manifestation of suppressed emotions. In real life, many people cannot fully express dissatisfaction, irritation, and resentment due to the disapproval of such demonstrations by society. Gradually, negativity accumulates, which leads to the development of parasomnia.

As a treatment, it is enough to understand the cause of the failure and “pour out” the emotions to a loved one

person or express your indignation in writing. You can repeat the procedure until complete recovery. If the recommendation does not help or the patient is not able to understand what exactly is “compressed inside”, you need to do the following exercise:

• find a comfortable body position;
• close eyes;
• make sure your breathing remains even;
• remember your happiest memory;
• think about the sensations you experience after waking up;
• Comparing emotions, draw a conclusion for yourself.

If you perform the exercise correctly, you will be able to discern the source of the problem. Further actions should be aimed at releasing suppressed emotions.

Precautionary measures

Evening walks in the fresh air have a beneficial effect on normalizing sleep

1. Try to go to bed at the same time every day. It is advisable to do this no later than 23:00. It is recommended to sleep at least seven, and preferably eight hours.
2. Try not to watch movies, sit in front of the computer, or study new information before going to bed.
3. It is recommended to take walks in the fresh air in the evening.
4. Take care to give up bad habits. Remember that nicotine, alcohol and drugs have a negative effect on the body, including a person’s sleep.
5. It is worth taking care to create comfortable conditions for a night's rest. It is necessary that the room has an optimal temperature (from 18 to 22 degrees) and humidity (50 - 60%).
6. It is important not to overeat before going to bed. It is recommended that the last meal be at least three hours before the night's rest.

Now you know why a person can scream in his sleep. As you can see, there may be several reasons influencing the occurrence of such a phenomenon. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand what exactly in your case causes night screaming. Remember that you should not self-medicate, for example, start taking medications prescribed for a relative to normalize sleep. You may have a completely different case, and with such an attraction you will only harm yourself.

What to do?

Separately occurring episodes of screaming during a night's rest do not indicate serious threats. The following symptoms may be a cause for concern:

• regular human screams at night;
• waking up after screaming with increased sweating;
• manifestations of sleepwalking;
• feeling of suffocation while sleeping in a well-ventilated area;
• shuddering in sleep;
• bruxism - grinding teeth during sleep;
• depression, negative emotions, sleepy, lethargic state during the day.

If several of the symptoms described above are observed, it is better to contact a neurologist or somnologist.

Psychologist's advice

If a person screams in a dream, this may be a sign of a subconscious desire to express his emotions in reality to some person. Showing negative feelings is rarely welcomed in society. A person, for various reasons (upbringing, fear of punishment, secondary benefit) tries to hide his true emotions from others, and often he successfully hides them from himself. It could be fear, rage, resentment, irritation. In this case, only by realizing and openly expressing your feelings can you get rid of sleep problems.

To begin with, you can use “safe” methods, for example, opening up to a friend or writing a letter to a person, expressing everything in it, and then burning it. If necessary, the process can be repeated until the parasomnia symptoms disappear.

For those people who do not fully understand why they scream in their sleep, what emotions they suppress, psychologists recommend doing the following exercise.

1. Take a comfortable, relaxed position, close your eyes, and even out your breathing. Find one of the most pleasant and joyful memories in your memory and enjoy it.
2. Then you should remember your feelings after waking up. What is it – fear, anxiety, malice, anger? Where are these feelings located in the body? How can they be described by visualization? Color, size, smell, weight?
3. If these emotions could talk, what would they say?

As a rule, at this stage it becomes clear what a person is afraid of or what makes him angry.

What to do when screaming in your sleep, when psychotherapy does not help and the attacks are severe:

• drug treatment is recommended (taking sleeping pills and sedatives, nootropics under the supervision of a doctor);
• physiotherapy (massage, mud therapy, relaxing baths, electrosleep);
• vitamin therapy (taking B vitamins, magnesium, fatty acids, tryptophan).

Relatives of someone screaming in their sleep should remember that it is impossible to wake them up abruptly during an attack. Due to a sudden awakening in the REM phase of sleep, a person ultimately does not get enough sleep. This may lead to worsening of the disorder in the future. It is better to speak soothing words, stroke the person’s hand, quietly call him by name until he gradually wakes up or falls asleep peacefully further.