Last night, I had a bad sleep. It's inspired me to write about how to avoid and cope with nightmares. This is from my personal experience, so what works for me, may not work for you.

1) Upon waking up in fright and sweats, tell yourself it was only a dream. I know it's obvious when you wake up that it wasn't real, but actually saying it may relieve you. It's the same as "It's a movie" line I used to say as a kid after watching scary movies.

2) Find out what triggered your dream.
It may be an event, a fear, a movie. Whatever the source is, by knowing, you may find it a bit silly. Either face your fear or avoid it. I know, I know... "You can't run away from your problems" but if it's causing you anxiety, I think running should be an option.

3) Relax before you sleep
Listening to soft music may help you sleep better since it'll relax you. My friend uses a white noise app for her iPod touch when she sleeps, and I prefer piano and violin music.
Another soother that may help is aromatherapy. The smell of lavender supposedly helps you relax, but I don't particularly like the smell of lavendar. I have a little spray bottle of Eucalyptus Spearmint from Bath & Body Works. You don't have to use the scents I've mentioned; you can use your favourite scent. Unfortunately, my favourte scent is vanilla, and it just gets me excited and happy rather than relaxed...

4) To cope, you don't need to go through it alone. Even though it's in the middle of the night and dark, I get my pets to surround me and I text a close friend or play games on my DSi to distract me.

I hope these tips helped and if you have any tips of your own, please do comment below! (:

ps. Sorry if I put it in the wrong category, I didn't know which category to put it in. ._.