Can Birth Control Cause Nightmares? (Helpful Content!)

So, the simple answer is yes.

However, it is just as likely to simply cause vivid dreams and high dream recall as it is to cause nightmares.

Nightmare is obviously not a scientifically defined term, so the fact is that these side effects will manifest differently in different people.

Let’s look further into this.

Can birth control affect your dreams?

Yes, it certainly can.

Many medications can have profound effects on our dreams for a whole host of reasons.

Dreaming is still something that is not fully understood, and there are many question marks around the topic even today.

So, as a caveat, the thing is that the mechanisms of dreaming are not entirely understood to begin with.

That said, birth control in particular can affect dreams in a couple of primary ways.

For one thing, it can often make your sleep more restless in the first few weeks after starting them.

One of the main reasons dreams are more ‘vivid’ on certain nights is the simple fact that our REM cycle is disrupted, and we remember them more clearly.

This can also be true for nightmares.

If your REM sleep is disrupted by birth control side effects, your dreams may become more like nightmares as they are occurring simply because you are more aware of them.

On the other hand, birth control can have a more localized effect on your actual brain chemistry.

It works by affecting things like hormones, which in turn have an effect on how you think—this, in turn, has an effect on how you dream and can cause nightmares.

Why, exactly, is this the case then?

Why can birth control cause nightmares?

Given the wide variety of birth control available to the general public, this is a difficult question to answer.

I outlined two broad-stroke reasons why birth control might affect your dreams.

One, that your sleep is disturbed.

Two, that your hormones and chemistry are affected.

The best theory we have to explain dreams is that they are the brain’s way of sorting important memories and feelings from unimportant ones.

Our brains do that while we sleep as it is more efficient when our brains aren’t needed for anything else.

Birth control has profound effects on the body and brain, and so working out those feelings and events becomes a great deal more difficult when the brain chemistry is being artificially altered with medication.

With birth control, these effects should ultimately subside on their own.

However, if you’re really struggling, there are a few things you can do to mitigate the effects of bad dreams.

How to stop nightmares from birth control

I would say, up top, that if you are just starting out on birth control, there’s little you can do to completely stop the dreams in their tracks.

Medication sometimes takes some getting used to.

That said, there are ways you can make it easier on yourself.

Firstly and most importantly, make sure you are maintaining a regular sleep-wake schedule.

This gives you the best chance of having the most restful sleep you can, which is your best chance of easing up the dreams.

Other than that, general relaxation techniques, particularly when employed before bed, will help your chances of getting a good night’s rest.

Things like light meditation, aromatherapy, and even regular exercise throughout the day will improve your overall night’s rest.

As I said, these are your best chances of avoiding the bad dreams, but there’s not a lot you can do to completely stop them in their tracks.

Can birth control cause night sweats?

Again, due to the hormone treatments of most birth control, they do stand quite a high chance of causing night sweats.

Night sweats often go hand in hand with bad dreams, too, since they can both have an effect on the deepness of your sleep.

They are a commonly reported side effect of many hormone treatments and birth controls.

If you’re having a really big problem with night sweats or indeed with nightmares, then it may be worth discussing it with your doctor and looking at getting your prescription changed.

There are always options if you feel overwhelmed.

If you are starting out on birth control, then, you should probably expect some form of side effect in the sleep and dreaming area.

You aren’t guaranteed these effects, of course, but you’ll be more prepared for it if you take it as a strong possibility.

In any case, there are a number of things you can do to mitigate the effects, and in general, you should expect these side effects to subside with time.

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