Recurring nightmares - what to do? Or is this just part of getting older

The strange part isn’t that I’m having nightmares.

It’s that they repeat. Same theme. Same emotional tone. Like my brain refuses to let something go.

Is this common with age? Or unresolved stress finally getting louder when the world gets quieter?

I cleaned up my routine. Reduced caffeine. Even thought about trying sleep earbuds just to make the nights less externally disruptive. But this doesn’t feel external.

It feels… internal.

If you’ve dealt with recurring nightmares – what to do?

Do you address sleep? Or do you address life?

Curious what helped you — practically, not philosophically.