nightmares
A nightmare is an unpleasant dream associated with negative feelings such as anxiety or fear People have nightmares, but sometimes nightmares are not associated with a psychological disorder A nightmare becomes a problem when it is too frequent, prevents you from falling asleep, or makes you afraid to fall asleep A diagnosis of nightmare disorder is made only when the patient is distressed by the nightmares and is disturbed during the day.
Nightmares may appear for the first time between the ages of 3 and 6, although the frequency of nightmares decreases after about 10 years of age. Before the age of 13, boys and girls report nightmares with equal frequency, and after the age of 13, nightmares are more common in girls. Some people have nightmares throughout their lives
A nightmare is only considered a disorder if the dream causes distress and prevents you from falling asleep. A nightmare can be caused by many factors Examples are:
- Stress Sometimes, normal life stresses, such as problems at home or school, trigger nightmares Big changes, such as a change of residence or the death of a loved one, are also associated with nightmares
- trauma Nightmares are common after a car accident, injury, or other traumatic event Nightmares occur in post-traumatic stress disorder
- Lack of sleep Schedule changes associated with disruption of sleep-wake cycles sometimes lead to increased nightmares
- Medications Certain medications, including antidepressants, blood pressure medications, beta-blockers, Parkinson's disease medications, or smoking cessation aids, have been associated with nightmares.
- Drugs and alcohol Nightmares occur during the syndrome of abstinence (stopping use) of these substances
- Dangerous books or movies Reading a scary book or watching a scary movie, especially before going to sleep, is associated with nightmares
- Other violations Certain diseases and mental conditions, as well as sleep disorders, are associated with a higher risk of nightmares For example, anxiety can become the cause of frequent nightmares
Nightmare disorder is considered by doctors as a parasomnia, i.e. a sleep disorder that causes unpleasant sensations during sleep, falling asleep or waking up. Nightmares disturb a person in one of the phases of sleep, namely the REM phase
Normally, a person goes through 4-6 sleep phases throughout the night One cycle of phases lasts 90 minutes The duration of the REM phase increases with the change of cycles, and if it lasts a few minutes during the first cycle, it may take up to 1 hour in the last cycle. Because of this, nightmares are more likely towards the end of sleep
A nightmare is characterized by these factors:
- The dream is real, the sensations get worse as the dream progresses
- The dream is a story in which something threatens you and you are not protected
- You wake up because of the dream
- You are afraid, anxious, angry about the dream A small child may have nightmares about monsters, and an older child may have nightmares about difficulties at school or at home.
When to consult a doctor
Having nightmares is not dangerous If your child is having nightmares, tell his doctor during routine checkups
See a doctor sooner if the nightmares:
- Frequent, long-lasting
- Often disturbs the child's sleep
- The child is afraid to sleep
- Nightmares cause problems during the day
