What's Behind Your Bad Dreams— And How To Banish Them

Nightmares keeping you up? Find out what’s behind your bad dreams— and banish them.

- Kelsey Haywood Lucas

Ever been jolted awake with an overwhelming feeling of terror or dread? What a nightmare! The images haunting your head might be bizarre (your teeth falling out), frightening (you’re swimming in shark-infested waters) or super stressful (you’re taking a final for a class you haven’t attended all year)— but they’re key to coping with everyday drama and figuring out the real you. We’re throwing back the covers and decoding all the creepiness...

WHAT NIGHTMARES ARE MADE OF

So why do we have nightmares, anyway? They’re the result of our minds dealing with change, stress and emotions. “Your brain is sorting through what happened during the day and deciding what to remember and what to trash,” says clinical psychologist Dr. Tracy Bennett. Emotional experiences, especially those that are scary or sad, get prioritized in this sorting-out process—and that’s how your nightmares are born.