Can Dehydration Cause Nightmares? Shocking Link Between Lack of Water and Bad Dreams

Dehydration isn’t just messing with your body. It comes with impacts on your sleep and can even cause some intense nightmares. We always think of hydration as something that gives energy, good skin, and well-functioning digestion, but its relation with sleep is just as significant, although hardly ever discussed.

Being dehydrated gives your body many discomforts, like dry mouth, headache, and cramps. These cause disrupted sleep and possibly waking up at night. Continuous disruptions expose you to vivid or bad dreams.

Most nightmares occur during Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep. Dehydration disturbs this very crucial stage of sleep by affecting brain functions and body temperature, so that transitions between sleep cycles do not occur smoothly; hence, superimposing great intensity and emotion to dreams.

Furthermore, dehydration may increase cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. A nighttime rise of cortisol casts anxiety-like nightmares or simply nightmares because your brain is distracted by these stressors.

In some cases, you will find that dehydration can worsen underlying conditions such as anxiety, low blood pressure, or sleep apnea, all of which are linked to poor sleep quality and bad dreams.

How to Prevent Dehydration-Related Nightmares

• You need to drink water throughout the day, not only before going to bed
  

• You need to control caffeine and alcohol intake, which are dehydrating
  

• You can check your urine color. Pale yellow means you’re hydrated
  

• You can consume water-rich foods like cucumber, watermelon, and oranges
  

• You can avoid overhydration at night to prevent waking up for bathroom trips

Staying hydrated won’t just help your physical health. It may also lead to better, more peaceful sleep and fewer nightmare-filled nights.

Disclaimer- This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. If you experience frequent nightmares or sleep disturbances, consult a qualified healthcare professional.