What’s going on with Nightmares? 


What’s going on with Nightmares? 

If you’re a parent, I’m sure that you have woken up at least once by your child’s screams in the middle of the night, as they have had a nightmare that has upset their sleep. Although nightmares usually occur in children, adults also experience them as well. It is estimated that 2-8% of adults have nightmares.  

First of all what exactly are nightmares? 

Nightmares are very vivid dreams that are usually very disturbing and occur during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of sleep, which is around dawn. Someone’s nightmare can be about something specific that has to do with his personal life, but there are also some common nightmares like falling from a big height or having our teeth falling out.

What are the reasons 

  • Eating  too much before sleep 
  • Medicines that affect our brain such as antidepressants 
  • Other medicines (blood pressure regulators) 
  • Abstention from alcohol and tranquilizers 
  • Constant insomnia 
  • Extreme anxiety 
  • Depression 
  • Post-traumatic stress 
  • Sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome (RLS) 

Consequences 

Nightmares can affect someone’s quality of life. Those who suffer from excessive stress or depression are more prone to have nightmares. Also, the insomnia that is caused by constant nightmares can lead to health problems such as heart failure or obesity.  

Treatment 

The only way to get rid of nightmares is to find what real triggers them and deal with it. For example, if you suffer from sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome you have to find the solution for these in order to make the nightmares dissapear. If your nightmares aren’t a result of one of those things, it would be best to visit a mental health specialist as it might be due to psychological issues as well.  There are some things that you can do on your own to help yourself, like going to bed at a certain time every night, working out on a regural basis, reduce alcohol, nicotine and caffeine and go to your bedroom only when you want to go to sleep and not for other activities that might make you nervous.   Seminars Recent Articles