Nightmares are common in children, but they can happen to anyone at any age, and the occasional nightmare is typically nothing to worry about. A nightmare is a disturbing dream associated with negative feelings, such as anxiety or fear, that awakens us.
Girls appear to experience nightmares more frequently during adolescence and young adulthood than do boys, though some people experience nightmares as adults or throughout their lives. Nightmares may start in children between the ages of 3 and 6 and tend to lessen after the age of 10.
Even though nightmares are frequent, nightmare disorder—which occurs when they occur frequently, cause distress, interfere with sleep, impair daytime functioning, or instill a fear of falling asleep—is relatively uncommon.
Symptoms
The second half of our sleep is when we typically experience nightmares, which can happen infrequently or repeatedly—even several times—and cause us to wake up; it can be challenging to fall back asleep after an episode.
These elements may be present in a nightmare:
- As the dream progresses, it frequently becomes more disturbing and seems vivid and real.
- Themes in dream narratives that are disturbing can include threats to safety or survival as well as other things.
- Dream awakens you
- Due to the dream, one might experience fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, or disgust.
- Have a racing heart while you’re in bed or feel perspiring
- able to remember specifics of your dream when you wake up and think clearly
- Dreams are upsetting and prevent a quick return to sleep.
Only if the following occurs are nightmares regarded as a disorder:
- Frequent occurrences
- Significant distress or impairment throughout the day, such as worry or a recurring phobia, or worry before bed about another nightmare
- They have trouble focusing or remembering things, and they are constantly thinking about dreams.
- Insomnia, exhaustion, or low energy during the day
- difficulties with functioning in social situations, at work, or in the classroom
- Sleep issues or a fear of the dark-related behavioral issues
Parenting or caring for a child who suffers from nightmare disorder can seriously disrupt their sleep and cause them distress.
Causes
Nightmares typically happen during the stage of sleep known as rapid eye movement (REM), and the exact cause of nightmares is unknown. Nightmare disorder is referred to by doctors as a parasomnia, a type of sleep disorder that involves unfavorable experiences that occur while someone is falling asleep, while they are sleeping, or when they are waking up.
Numerous things can cause nightmares, such as:
- Stress or anxiety.A major change, such as moving or losing a loved one, can also cause nightmares, as can the common stresses of daily life, such as a problem at home or school. Having anxiety increases the risk of nightmares.
- Trauma.People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently experience nightmares after experiencing trauma such as an accident, injury, physical or sexual abuse, or other traumatic event.
- Sleep deprivation.Insomnia is linked to an increased risk of nightmares, as are changes in the schedule that disrupt or shorten sleep or cause irregular sleeping and waking times.
- Medications.Some medications, including some blood pressure medications, beta blockers, Parkinson’s disease medications, and medications used to treat smoking cessation or depression, can cause nightmares.
- Substance abuse.The use or withdrawal from recreational drugs and alcohol can cause nightmares.
- Other disorders.Nightmares can occur in conjunction with certain medical conditions, such as heart disease or cancer, as well as other sleep disorders that prevent a normal amount of sleep. Depression and other mental health disorders may be linked to nightmares.
- Scary books and movies.Some people may experience nightmares after reading or watching scary material, particularly right before bed.
HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINE
Natrum Mur:
When patients are unable to fall asleep due to their fear of burglars, they move furniture in front of doors and dream of thieves. Useful for nightmares with fear before going to sleep.
Lachesis
The patient frequently dreams that he is attending his own funeral or that secrets are happening at the cemetery, which is helpful for nightmarish visions in which the patient sees himself lying in bed in his shroud or in the grave itself.
BELLADONA
useful in preventing nightmares involving fire and flames.
DIGITALIS
When someone with heart disease has nightmares about accidents, falling, or crashing, this is helpful.
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