Nightmare disorder

Experiencing nightmares, which has a negative impact on your life, more than twice a week may be a sign of nightmare disease.

Approximately 35% of adults admit to having a nightmare about once a month. However, 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 that interfere with social, occupational, physical, and emotional life are considered a pathological condition. They can be caused by stress, posttraumatic stress disorder, negative life events, other psychiatric disorders, or even certain medications. They lead to 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, associated with other symptoms such as 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. The nightmare is usually well remembered, as it occurs during the rapid eye movement stage of sleep, also known as light sleep.

Nightmare disorder can cause 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, such as anxiety or depression, fatigue, sleep resistance, daytime sleepiness, and 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬. 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, imagery and repetition therapy, hypnotherapy, and desensitization, can help treat these disorders. In addition, a combination of therapies, including 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, may also be more effective in 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬, such as establishing a bedtime routine, avoiding screen time or limiting caffeine intake before bedtime, could be beneficial for people with nightmare disorders.