Neha Arti 
Are you having pregnancy nightmares that leave you drenched in sweat or that affect your mood after waking up?
If so, you’re not alone. It’s well-known that pregnant people experience more vivid dreams, including nightmares.
In this guide, we’ll discuss what causes disturbing pregnancy nightmares and how you can make them stop.
Pregnancy Nightmares
Several studies have shown that pregnant people report nightmares more than others.
During pregnancy, you might notice that your dreams have become more vivid, intense, strange and sometimes even terrifying. You might have nightmares about something going wrong during pregnancy, during birth, or becoming a parent. Pregnancy nightmares can happen in the first trimester, soon after receiving a positive pregnancy test. They can also occur later during pregnancy, as you’re preparing to give birth.
It’s a common myth that dreams only happen during the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep stage. Dreaming can happen during any sleep stage. However, dreams that occur during REM sleep are often more vivid and easier to recall. This is likely when you’re having your most intense nightmares.
REM sleep happens in four or five chunks throughout the night rather than one big chunk. Nightmares are most likely to happen when those REM chunks are longer, which usually happens halfway through your sleep.
Remembering these dreams or nightmares can happen in two ways:
- When you wake up in the middle of the night to use the washroom, adjust your pillow or position, etc. Waking up during or after a nightmare can cause you to remember it. Consider that you probably have more sleep interruptions during pregnancy, which gives you more opportunity to recall your nightmares.
- When you awaken in the morning and you begin to remember your dream. Since we tend to dream in the period before we wake up, recalling these dreams can be easier. It also means you’re able to recall the dream in more detail. For example, your emotions or images from your nightmare can feel more real and terrifying.
Causes of Pregnancy Nightmares
If you’re having pregnancy nightmares, you might be wondering what’s causing them. There are several reasons why you might be experiencing nightmares during pregnancy. One of the biggest reasons is that pregnancy causes more sleep interruptions, making you recall your nightmares more than before.
Hormones
As your hormones change during pregnancy, you might experience problems sleeping. That can include trouble going or staying asleep, and it could also mean more sleep interruptions. These interruptions could cause you to remember your nightmares more easily.
Adjusting your comfort
As your baby belly grows, you may find yourself waking up more to adjust your position. All these efforts to increase your comfort may be making dream recall easier.
Waking up to pee
Another cause of sleep interruption during pregnancy? Waking up to pee! If you have to use the washroom during the night, you’re giving yourself more chances to recall your dreams. You might be waking up during or after REM sleep, making your nightmares vivid in your memory.
Waking up to use the washroom can also awaken your brain, which can elevate your stress if you worry before falling back asleep, making nightmares more possible. For example, on your way to the washroom, you might worry about your upcoming prenatal appointment, which leads you to dream of getting bad news during the appointment.
Fetal movement
Your sleep may also be interrupted by fetal movement. As you get further along in your pregnancy, you may notice more intense dreams or nightmares. This could be because your baby is moving at night, which is causing you to wake up and recall your nightmare.
Daily thoughts
The above points explain why you might be remembering your dreams more. But what is causing the sometimes scary content of your dreams?
Dreams can be a collection of the thoughts or experiences we have in daily life. Dream experts call this the ‘continuity hypothesis,’ which suggests that dreams often reflect current or recent waking experiences, especially emotions. When you’re pregnant, your life is changing dramatically and it’s normal for that to be top of mind. Some of your most repetitive thoughts likely revolve around pregnancy, giving birth and becoming a parent—and that can bleed into your dream life.
Stress and Anxiety
Now that you understand why you have pregnancy-related dreams, you might be wondering why they’re sometimes scary and turn into nightmares. If you are stressed about being pregnant or becoming a parent—or stressed about life in general—it can lead to pregnancy nightmares.
One study found that pregnancy nightmares are closely related to stress experienced in the daytime.
If you have a mental health disorder, like anxiety or depression, the thoughts it creates could also impact your sleep. Instead of pleasant dreams, you could be more likely to have pregnancy nightmares.
Nightmares are also a hallmark of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies show that PTSD rates are higher in pregnant women. Some researchers think the psychological and physical aspects of pregnancy may make symptoms of PTSD worse. For example, becoming a parent can trigger memories of a bad childhood or physical changes might trigger memories of sexual abuse. Bringing up these painful emotions can cause nightmares.
How to Stop Pregnancy Nightmares
Here are a few ways you can minimize nightmares in exchange for more pleasant dreams.
Identify the Stress
The first step to treating pregnancy nightmares is often to identify the stressor. While it isn’t always the case, nightmares are typically caused by some stress in waking life. Contemplating your stress and finding ways to tackle it in your waking life can minimize it transferring to your dream life.
If you don’t know whether your nightmares are tied to your waking stressors, try keeping a dream journal. Document your nightmares and see if there are any patterns.
Minimize Interruptions
Interruptions can cause you to recall your nightmares more vividly, which can affect your mood when you wake up. Although staying asleep may not minimize nightmares, it can prevent you from recalling and being affected by them.
To minimize interruptions during sleep, you can:
- Avoid drinking before bed (minimizing trips to the bathroom)
- Avoid eating large meals before bed (minimizing digestion interruptions)
- Get into a comfortable position when you fall asleep and have pregnancy pillows readily available
De-Stress Before Bed
Try to think positive thoughts before bed. For those anxious about being pregnant or giving birth, that can be difficult, especially as your mind quiets before you go to bed. One solution could be to distract your mind with content that makes you happy or relaxed. Instead of doom-scrolling on your phone, consider doing something more positive before bed, like:
- Reading a novel or a book that interests you (non-pregnancy related)
- Listening to an audiobook
- Stretching or light yoga
Meditate
Another top way to de-stress is to meditate. Try following a guided meditation and let it drift you off into a slumber. When relaxing thoughts are your last ones before falling asleep, it can make stress dreaming less likely.
Meditating during the day may also help you at night. Studies have shown that regular meditation can shrink the amygdala, which is a part of the brain associated with fear.
Re-Write Your Nightmare
If you have a nightmare that repeats, consider trying this strategy commonly used in image rehearsal therapy (IRT). Research has shown that IRT can reduce nightmare frequency and improve sleep quality and PTSD symptoms.
IRT may be most effective when tried under the care of a therapist. However, here’s how you can try it at home:
- Write down your repeated nightmare as it happens.
- Now write an alternative ending: One that is positive. You can make it realistic or something outlandish and out of a superhero movie.
- Mentally rehearse your rewritten nightmare before falling asleep. Try to imagine it and replay it in detail to make it real in your mind. The goal is to replace the bad ending with a good ending.
- Affirm to yourself that “I will be aware that I’m having this bad dream and replace it with my good dream.”
- Mentally rehearse your rewritten nightmare again before falling asleep.
For more detailed instructions, read this Brief Guide to Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT).
Professional Mental Health Help
Pregnancy can be a difficult time emotionally and if that’s leading to nightmares, you should consider seeking professional help. Reducing your overall stress in daily life can help you reduce nightmare frequency.
Whether you’re dealing with stress or a mental health disorder, like anxiety or PTSD, therapy or counseling may be beneficial.
A therapist or counselor can help you pinpoint your stressors as well as solutions to manage them. Their recommendations could include:
- Lifestyle changes
- Psychotherapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Medication
Evolving technology solutions
Interestingly, technologies to help us reduce nightmares are on the horizon. For example, NightWare is a smartwatch designed to help with nightmares. It uses artificial intelligence and tracks a user’s heart rate and body movements during sleep to assess their stress level. When a nightmare is detected, the watch vibrates to interrupt the nightmare without waking the user.
This device is aimed at those with Nightmare Disorder and is only available with a prescription.
Summary: Pregnancy Nightmares
Pregnancy nightmares are common and normal, but they can be bothersome and affect both your waking and dream life. Nightmares are more common during pregnancy for a variety of reasons, including changing hormones and more sleep interruptions, causing you to remember your dreams. Nightmares during pregnancy are often triggered by stresses during daily life, including the anxiety related to giving birth or becoming a parent.
There are some things you can try to reduce the frequency of pregnancy nightmares. If they’re being caused by stress, try to deal with the stressor. De-stressing before bed and meditating can also help. For those with repeated nightmares, try IRT to rewrite the ending and change the nightmare. Since bad dreams are often caused by stress, it’s a good idea to talk to a mental health professional about your nightmares, especially if you also have a mental health disorder.
P.S. Do You Have a BabyDoppler?
A BabyDoppler is a pocket-sized device with a probe that detects your baby’s heartbeat while she’s still inside the womb. Many parents find comfort and connection through the sound of their baby’s beating heart.
