In itself, that’s not a pleasant statistic, especially if you’re one of those people unlucky enough to have a nightmare regularly.

So if you’re always waking up in the middle of the night shaking with fear because your pleasant dream suddenly became an nasty nightmare, is there anything you can do to reduce the number of nightmares you’re experiencing?

1. Check your medication

It’s possible that the medicine you’re taking includes nightmares as one of its side effects. If you’ve just been prescribed a new medication, then it could well be causing your nightmares. Go back to your doctor and change your medicine if necessary.

2. Learn to relax

Quite often, nightmares are just our body’s way of telling us that we’re totally stressed out. OK, your body could pick a subtler way to tell you but then you probably wouldn’t get the message. Download a relaxation MP3 and then play it to yourself to help you relax. If certain things in your life are causing you to stress out, make it a target to cut them out of your life or reduce their impact.

3. Cut down on the coffee

I know, blame the coffee as usual. There’s no need to cut it out cmopletely from your life. But don’t slurp down lots of coffee or other caffeinated drinks too close to bedtime. Remember that some pain killers also contain caffeine, so check the label and change brand if necessary.

4. Get some deep sleep

Hmmm, that sounds easier said than done. I mean, your nightmares are waking you up and they’re disrupting your sleep pattern. Make the time you go to bed a habit so your body gets used to the routine.

5. Listen to a hypnosis track

Because your mind is working overtime, dreaming up all these nasty scenarios just to scare you, hypnosis is an excellent way to sort it out. You can get hold of download a simple hypnosis track which will help eradicate your nightmares. Give it a try – you’ll be glad you did.