Why Do Scary Movies Cause Nightmares?

This is the month of scary movies! So if you're watching more horror films than usual this month, you may have also noticed an increase in the number of nightmares you've been having as well.

Dreams and nightmares are our brain's way of processing emotions and things that happened to us during the day. So if we watch a scary movie and then go to bed, you are likely to have your dreams mirror these scary feelings that you were recently experiencing. An emotional spike like the one you get when watching a horror film can stick in your brain and tell it to pay attention to why you felt the way you did, and how to avoid that feeling in the future.

One particular way to help avoid the nightmares after watching a scary movie is to have a discussion with someone about the film and what happened in the film and why the scary parts were scary in the first place. Talking it out can help your brain process those negative feelings and emotions before going to bed, and that can help you avoid having nightmares.