The nightmare is a disturbing dream, associated with negative feelings, such as anxiety or fear, for example, that make one wake up in the middle of the night. Nightmares are more common in children and adolescents, however they can occur at any age.
Having nightmares from time to time is normal, and may be associated with stress or anxiety, some trauma, poor sleep hygiene or medications, however, if they become too frequent to cause distress, poor sleep quality, fear of going to sleep or even problems throughout the day, can be considered a disorder and in these cases, medical follow-up may be necessary.
Because we have nightmares
Nightmares usually occur during a sleep phase called REM phase and the exact cause of nightmares is still unknown. Learn more about sleep stages.
However, nightmares can be triggered by factors such as:
- Stress and anxiety, such as day-to-day problems, receiving bad news or losing a loved one;
- Injuries, such as those resulting from a major accident, physical or sexual abuse, or other traumatic event;
- Sleep deprivation, which can occur in shift workers traveling to places with another time zone, sleeping a few hours or suffering from insomnia;
- Medications, such as antidepressants, blood pressure medicines or medicines to treat Parkinson's or to stop smoking;
- Abuse of alcohol, drugs or even the weaning of these substances;
- Watch movies or read spooky books, especially before going to sleep.
Nightmares can still be caused by psychological disorders such as depression, other mental problems or post-traumatic stress, which may be caused by some of the above factors, even though they may have happened in the past. Find out what symptoms may be associated with this psychological disorder.
Symptoms that occur during a nightmare
Usually, nightmares have a short duration, but after waking up, the person may have some difficulty in resuming sleep. Some symptoms that may occur during a nightmare are the dream to appear very real and disturbing, making the person feel threatened and when awake feels frightened, anxious, irritated sad or nauseous, depending on the type of nightmare that has occurred.
In addition, the person can perspire intensely and have a very fast heart rate, which make it difficult to return to sleep peacefully.
How To Stop Having Nightmares
There are ways to reduce the frequency with which nightmares occur, such as setting fixed times for bedtime and wake-up. For those who have trouble falling asleep, you can read a book or take a relaxing bath before going to bed. See other tips that can help you sleep better.
If stress and anxiety are what is at the origin of the nightmare, it is best to seek a doctor who helps the person solve the problem or practice relaxation exercises. See 8 ways to calm the mind.
Nightmares in children
In the case of children, one can ask to draw on the nightmare or talk about the characters of that same nightmare and try to explain that none of this is real or even build a happy ending to that story.
Also, a child may feel safer if they sleep with an object they like like a teddy bear or a tissue that they like, with the door open from their bedroom and their parents' room. One can also put in the room a headlight so that the children do not be alarmed by the very dark room.
