Nightmares

Alternative names:

bad dreams

Definition:

A dream occurring during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep that brings out feelings of strong, inescapable fear, terror, distress, or extreme anxiety, usually awakening the sleeper. See also night terror; sleep disorders.

Considerations:

Nightmares tend to be more common among children and decrease in frequency toward adulthood. In children, the content of the nightmare may be influenced by daytime experiences such as television viewing, movies, or scary real-life events. In adults, there is a less specific association between nightmares and daytime events. The majority of adults tend not to remember the content of their dreams or nightmares or only small portions of them.

Occasional nightmares without other symptoms are common occurrences requiring no treatment.

Eating just prior to going to bed which raises the body's metabolism and brain activity, can cause nightmares to occur more often.

Common causes:

• illness with a fever
• death of a loved one (post-traumatic stress disorder)
• anxiety or stress
• adverse reaction to or side effect of a drug
• recent withdrawal from a drug such as sleeping pills
• effect of alcohol or excessive alcohol consumption
• abrupt alcohol withdrawal

Note: There may be other causes of nightmares. This list is not all inclusive, and the causes are not presented in order of likelihood. The causes of this symptom can include unlikely diseases and medications. Furthermore, the causes may vary based on age and gender of the affected person, as well as on the specific characteristics of the symptom such as location, quality, time course, aggravating factors, relieving factors, and associated complaints. Use the Symptom Analysis option to explore the possible explanations for nightmares, occurring alone or in combination with other problems.