Summarize:

If you've just been jerked awake from a bad dream, forcing yourself to fall right back to sleep could send you back to the troubling dream, which can in turn lead to more fitful, restless sleep. You may also not be able to fall back asleep for a while if you're upset.  If this is the case, sleep experts recommend that you get up and if possible, leave the room. Doing this reinforces the message that your bed is a place of rest.  Even though you may be worried about needing to get a certain amount of sleep, allow yourself to stay awake for a period so that the bad dream can fade away and so that your mind can center on more positive thoughts. Instead of focusing on the clock and calculating how late it is and how much more sleep you need, try to find a way to distract yourself in a relaxing way.  For example, read a chapter or two of a good book before you try to fall back to sleep. Try to select a book which has a topic far removed from the content of your bad dream: if, for example, you were hiking in your dream and fell off a cliff, avoid adventure novels and instead read a few pages of historical fiction or a romance novel. You should avoid doing anything that is challenging or overly engaging, such as homework, office-work, or housework. Sleep experts generally recommend that we reduce our screen time before going to bed. They tell us that the blue-light emitted from electronic devices can interrupt our natural sleep cycles. Beyond this, television is an engaging medium, which means that we may be overly stimulated when watching it, which can in turn make it harder to fall asleep. Many people find that taking a warm bath is a helpful part of their regular bedtime routine. If you are struggling to calm down after having a bad dream, a relaxing bath or shower could sooth both your mind and body. After having been woken up by a bad dream, your mind is of course troubled, but your body may also be tense and stressed. Recent studies have indicated that yoga practice can lead to improved sleep. Thus, in an effort to help you relax both your mind and your muscles, consider doing a little yoga before going back to bed.  The best poses to try are easy resting and inversion poses, such as Easy Forward Bend (variation of Sukhasan), Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasan), Child's Pose (Balasana), and Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani).  Be sure to keep your stretches and poses gentle, and avoid working up a sweat or getting your heart rate too high. It's important that you don't push yourself past your comfort zone or hold a pose that hurts. It's also a smart idea to learn from a qualified professional, who can help you learn the poses properly and learn to adjust them for your body. You may find that you can calm yourself down and distance yourself from a bad dream by practicing meditation, prayer, or by doing breathing exercises. Many people report being able to fall asleep more easily when listening to the radio or to recordings of soothing music. Because this is a less engaging medium, sleep experts generally give the thumbs up to using it to help you drift off to sleep.  In general, your sleep will probably be more restful if you choose instrumental music, and avoid selecting tunes which have multiple movements, some of which may be more tense and dramatic. You may also want to consider putting your music on a timer, so that it turns off after a set amount of time. Many music apps have this feature. If you find that music distracts you when you are trying to sleep, consider searching for tracks which play gentle, relaxing nature sounds. For example, you can find cd's or apps with recordings of ocean waves, rain falling, or quiet animal-life sounds.
Get out of bed. Engage in a relaxing activity that will distract you from your dream. Avoid turning on the television. Consider taking a warm bath. Do a some gentle yoga stretches. Practice self-soothing skills. Play soft music. Play soothing nature sounds.