Have you ever experienced crying in your sleep? Is this an alarming phenomenon? Or should you just ignore it?
If you want to learn more, this post could help you. It’s normal to feel alarmed, but the question is, should you really be?
What Does it Mean When You Cry in Your Sleep?
For the elderly, crying in their sleep is fairly common when they have dementia. It could also be due to infections and even trauma. In most cases, you shouldn’t panic. However, it is still best to consult your doctor to rule out further health conditions.
Now, for babies, crying can be more apparent. They usually cry when they transition from one sleep stage to another. But for adults, it could be a sign of nightmares.
Crying in your sleep isn’t an unusual scenario, and most people will experience it one way or another. But this depends on the individual. If you recently had a traumatic experience, then seeking professional help is a must.
Take note that if your crying is accompanied by other bodily pains, this should never be ignored as it could be a symptom of urinary tract infection, bed sores, and ear infections. It would be best to enumerate and discuss all the common signs of why a person would cry while sleeping.
Feeling of Grief
Sometimes, an extremely sad experience could haunt us while we are sleeping. For adults, since we are too busy during the day, emotions could manifest when we sleep. This should be a point of concern. If you do not address your emotions, it could lead to anxiety and even depression, which we will discuss in the next point.
Diurnal Mood Variation and Depression
When we talk about diurnal mood variation, it means you feel low in the morning, but you become better as the day progresses. This is also called morning depression. Those who suffer from this condition could also experience crying in their sleep.
While grief is known to be short-term, depression could last for days, weeks, or even years. Some of its common symptoms are changes in sleeping habits and withdrawal from the things you love and people you care about.
There were also reports that those who suddenly stopped taking anti-depressants cried during their sleep.
We couldn’t emphasize enough the need for professional help if you believe you are suffering from this condition. It’s not just about correcting your sleeping patterns. As we all know, depression can be fatal when not addressed..
Night Terrors
This is referred to the experiences wherein you cannot recall what happened during the night. One example is sleepwalking and could last for a few seconds to a few minutes. Around 40% of young children experience this. If you live with someone who sleepwalks, you might need to protect them because they might unintentionally hurt themselves.
Nightmares
When we say nightmares, it is simply translated to a scary dream. Unfortunately, everyone could experience this, and it can interrupt your sleep. According to experts, nightmares could be more prevalent for younger people. For adults, this can be brought by stress. This is the reason why we encourage people to learn stress management, or to use sleep aid to help them relax before bedtime.
People who experience nightmares should practice proper meditation. But just in case this doesn’t work, we recommend consulting an expert. Also, it’s best if you try to remember your dream. That’s one of the ways you can identify clues on the cause of your intense emotions.
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What most of its users do is pick a card before leaving their homes. They said that it had improved their mood all day long. And this helped them in having a quality sleep. Most likely, it should work for people crying in dreams and waking up crying.
Best Treatment, Waking Up Crying From a Dream
Remember that there’s no single solution for different scenarios. The perfect treatment will always depend on its cause.
For Babies
If your baby cries frequently, you can share it with the pediatrician. If the reason is due to sleep stage transition, training them to sleep on their own could be the solution. Now, if they are diagnosed with a specific health condition, let their doctor provide a suitable recommendation.
For Younger Children and Adults
You should consult a professional to provide you with the correct diagnosis. They will evaluate if you have medical or psychological issues. Looking for a sleep specialist could be beneficial as well. In the case of depression, Cognitive Behavior Therapy can help as well. This is so you can have a different perspective about life situations.
Get an Appointment Online
We understand that because of the pandemic, leaving your homes is not encouraged. But thanks to technology, you can already set an appointment online. In fact, a few specialists can provide initial assessments, which can also improve your condition. Take advantage of it right now, and see if there will be changes.
Let’s learn more about crying in your sleep.
Conclusion
Whether you are crying in dreams or waking up crying, we encourage you to address it right away. Perhaps, you might think that you are just too tired from work or you are a bit stressed and that you just need to rest. However, if it becomes unmanageable, it could take a toll on both your physical and mental health. And if that happens, that would be harder to cure, and even people close to you might get affected.
