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IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a medical site. You should always discuss medical matters with your doctor. NightmaresIt's important to distinguish between nightmares and night terrors. The two occur during different stages of sleep. Night terrors occur during NREM sleep, cause screaming and thrashing about in bed. Unlike nightmares theyare rarely remembered in detail.Nightmares occur in REM sleep. They cause fear but rarely the screaming and other symptoms associated with night terrors. Nightmares can be remembered as well or badly as any other dream - in my case I often remember the sensations involved but not many of the actual facts about the nightmare.
Just Bad Dreams?A nightmare is in effect "just" a bad dream, albeit a very intense one. However nightmares can be extremely distressing and should not be discounted.During a nightmare the pulse may increase and the body sweat - physiological responses to a very real feeling of fear. Nightmares usually result in the sleeper waking with a feeling of fear or anxiety however this soon passes. It's wrong to say "only children have nightmares". Certainly children seem to have more nightmares and they can be very distressing especially for toddlers. However most adults still have nightmares on occasion. One difference seems to be that adults are better than kids at ignoring them than. By next morning adults often forget that they had a nightmare - or at least manage to suppress the memory.
What Causes Nightmares?Why do people have nightmares? Reasons vary. There's no single cause of nightmares and hence no single way of stopping them. Sometimes physical factors can be involved, such as illness and/or medication. Sometimes a nightmare reflects some unusual stress or trauma in the waking world. Sometimes it is just a result of small, niggling worries that have been ignored for too long.Nightmares rarely cause any direct physical harm beyond interrupted sleep. However they can still have an indirect impact. Even if you put the nightmare aside as "just a bad dream", you can find yourself going through the next day feeling unusually irritable, moody or depressed. An unresolved nightmare can lead to a bad day. One suggestion is to try to "neutralise" the nightmare before going back to sleep. Lie back and visualise a positive, peaceful and happy alternative to the nightmare. If you were being chased, perhaps you turn and face the pursuer, only to discover it's a cuddly teddy bear just having fun. If you were falling, perhaps you float gently down onto a thick feather mattress covered with silk sheets. Even if you can't think of a specific alternative to the dream, be sure to conjure up pleasant scenes and emotions.
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