Tag: nightmares

Nightmares: Child psychologist uses drawing experiment to help children get a better night’s sleep

Is bedtime a nightmare for you and your child? You’re probably not alone, three quarters (73%) of children aged 4-12 have night-time fears, such as monsters and bad dreams.  

To help combat this, Happy Beds spoke to over 100 young children across the UK to find out what children really want in a ‘good’ monster under the bed to protect them from these fears. 

Educational Child Psychologist, Karen Jones, has unpicked the most common monster characteristics from the experiment and applied them practically, explaining how these tips will help children get a better night’s sleep.  

Five expert tips to help children sleep 

1.     “A monster who plays music to fight off the baddies” 

Tip: Play a lullaby 

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Once your child is in bed, you rely on them feeling relaxed enough to sleep, however, they’re much more likely to enter into a stressed state if they’re sitting in the dark and tuned in to every noise. Playing relaxing music can be key to keeping them calm enough to sleep. 

2.     “My monster smells of my favourite fruit, raspberries and strawberries” 

Tip: Spray familiar scents 

Try spraying a familiar scent, such as mum or dad’s perfume or aftershave in their room or on their bedtime teddy. Smell allows a child to feel calm and protected thanks to the sensory recognition it creates and it can be a great way to soothe a child. 

3.     “A monster with blue fur and red paws” 

Tip: Utilise primary colours 

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Whilst we tend to feel like pastel colours are always best as they are calming, when you’re decorating your child’s bedroom, consider brighter, primary colours – such as those that their favourite superhero wears or that they would recognise from a playground. 

4.     “My monster has a special glitter cape when I get scared” 

Tip: Make a calming glitter jar 

Using an old bottle or jar, create a calming jar with glitter, glue and hot water. Watching the swirls of glitter slowly glide from one end of the jar to the other, has a relaxing soothing effect on children and is proven to help with anxiety  

5.     “He has a soft tummy, fluffy arms and velvet legs” 

Tip: Ensure their bed is cosy 

Children love to cuddle – fill their bed with different textured soft items so they can self-soothe. This will help make a secure, safe space for a child to relax in.  

Happy Beds, challenged children to design a new Happy Monster mascot to win a brand-new child’s bed worth £500, as well as have their monster properly designed into a real-life soft toy.  

After hundreds of imaginative and exciting entries, a winner has been chosen, with Educational Child Psychologist, Karen Jones, giving her insight into the designs. 

The winner… Superhugs, designed by Logan, aged 3 from Scotland. 

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This hairy blue and red monster, named Superhugs, was declared the winner.

Logan’s mum, who designed him said: “Superhugs monster senses tell him when bad dreams are coming, his blue fur tingles and sends a forcefield to banish all bad dreams away from the bedroom, then a warm hugging red glow appears and comforts the little one through the night.

“He smells of raspberries and strawberries and is super soft to touch, with a bright furry red face & paws.” 

Karen Jones commented: “As children’s senses are much more sensitive than those of adults, this also makes them the best way to go from stressed to calm.

“Logan has given Superhugs certain sensory cues, such as bright, primary colours and a unique smell, which can be the quickest way to soothe a child.” 

For tips on helping children sleep with night terrors, click here. 

The most common nightmares – and how to avoid them

 Nightmares involving murder, apocalypse, drowning and your teeth falling out are some of the most common subjects – however, they shouldn’t necessarily give reason to be worried or scared.

Leading dream expert and bestselling author, Theresa Cheung, has worked with bed retailer, Happy Beds, to reveal four of the most common nightmares and the reasons we have them.

“Every single dream is unique and unusual. There is no such thing as a ‘usual’ nightmare, even ones with commonly reported nightmare themes,” she says. 

“These dreams mean that there are feelings or situations in your current waking life which you are having difficulty fully processing. You should not fear nightmares. Think of nightmares as a form of tough love.”

When it comes to the meaning of these dreams, it’s a lot less dramatic than you may think.

“Your dreaming mind is using shocking images because it knows you are more likely to recall them and ponder their meaning than everyday dreams.”

Theresa explained what four of the most common nightmares can mean:

  1. Murder 

A dream that involves a murder of some description can mean an unexpected change is being forced onto you.

  1. Apocalypse 

If you have a dream that involves the apocalypse it can be a sign that your subconscious feels that everything is shifting in your life and it’s time for a fresh start.

  1. Teeth falling out 

There could be more than one reason that you’re having nightmares about your teeth falling out. It could mean that you’re concerned about ageing or your appearance, or even that you have unexpressed anger inside.

  1. Drowning 

Dreams about drowning are very common and can be disturbing, however, they’re usually a sign that you’re feeling emotionally overwhelmed.

Whilst they may not be a cause for immediate concern, there are things you can do to help you avoid them.

Katherine Hall, a psychologist in sleep from Somnus Therapy, offered five useful tips to help avoid nightmares:

  • Consistency is key – You should keep your bedtime and wake time as consistent as possible. Consistency is likely to result in more restful and stable sleep, preventing the likelihood of a nightmare-inducing REM rebound from sleep deprivation.
  • Daily relaxation practice – Relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) can be incredibly useful in helping you to get to sleep and reducing the stress around not being able to sleep. PMR is a form of mindfulness that guides you through tensing each muscle group then relaxing them, to promote a sense of complete body and mind relaxation.
  • Expressive writing – Expressive writing has been shown to enable the writer to better regulate their emotions, as well as helping the writer break free from the endless mental cycling of brooding or rumination. Acknowledging your emotions and writing them down reduces the need for your mind to constantly fight and be in battle with any negative and stressful thoughts.
  • Avoid alcohol – Alcohol is a REM sleep blocker and causes an overall reduction in REM sleep – also known as dream sleep. When the alcohol starts to wear off it’s not uncommon to experience really vivid dreams or nightmares.
  • Seek treatment – When nightmares become a frequent occurrence and recurring, speaking with a professional may be the best option to help discover and treat the underlying issue.

To find out more about the most common dream meanings, click here.