Nightmare facts for kids
A nightmare is a very strong and often scary dream. It can make the person sleeping feel upset or frightened. Nightmares usually happen because of things like a high fever (a physical reason) or stress or a bad experience (a psychological reason).
Having nightmares is common. But if someone has nightmares very often, it can make it hard for them to get enough sleep. Sometimes, people might need to talk to a doctor about it.
Nightmares usually happen during a part of sleep called REM sleep. This is when your brain is very active, and you have your most vivid dreams.
Nightmares in History
For a long time, people had different ideas about what caused nightmares. In earlier times, some people believed that nightmares were caused by demons. They thought a creature called an Incubus would sit on the sleeper's chest, making them feel like they couldn't breathe. The famous painting The Nightmare by John Henry Fuseli shows this old belief. Some people even thought magic or demonic possession was involved.
In the 19th century, people started to think that what they ate was the cause of nightmares. For example, in the famous story A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the character Ebenezer Scrooge thinks his bad dreams are just because he ate too much. He blames "an undigested bit of beef" or "a crumb of cheese."
Back then, books like the Household Cyclopedia (from 1881) gave advice on how to avoid nightmares. They suggested eating healthy foods and avoiding fatty or greasy meals. They also said that getting enough exercise helps with digestion. The book also mentioned that going to bed too early or too late, or not getting enough sleep, could lead to nightmares. It warned that sleeping in too long in the morning could also make nightmares happen more often.
See also
In Spanish: Pesadilla para niños
