Ok, so as the title would suggest, I've recently started meditating. And, generally, if I meditate before bed, I'm more likely to have uncomfortably vivid nightmares. I don't dream journal yet so I couldn't tell you what they are.

I've been familiar with lucid dreaming since I was little (though I didn't know it was a THING with a NAME that people tried to do). Back then, if I had a nightmare I'd give myself a "jerk" to wake up and then relax into a lucid dream.

But lately there have been more "layers" to my dreams, where I'll dream that I'm having a nightmare, and wake up from the nightmare in the dream and still be asleep and not totally aware of it. Does that make sense? I probably *should* try to change the dream but my instinct is to try to "jerk" out of it.

I've heard people mentioning some things about confronting their subconscious fears and such in their dreams and I'd like to make this a positive experience if I can... or at least take the proper precautions before I meditate, etc., etc.

So my questions are:
If nightmares after meditation are a common thing, why is that?
Do such dreams serve any purpose?
What are some practical ways I can adjust my meditation practice and sleeping /dreaming habits to deal with this better?

Thanks and happy dreaming! I'm pretty new to all of this and a little guidance would be great.