27/03/2024
Asc Ramadan Mubarak
Nightmare review
What are recurring nightmares?
Nightmares are dreams that are upsetting or disturbing. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, over 50 percent of adults report having occasional nightmares.Trusted Source However, some people have nightmares that occur more frequently. These are called recurring nightmares. Recurring nightmares tend to happen more often in children than adults.Trusted Source
Not all recurring nightmares are the same each night. Many nightmares follow similar themes and tropes but may differ in content. Regardless, these nightmares often cause similar emotions once you wake up, including:
anger
sadness
guilt
anxiety
These thoughts and feelings can make it hard to get back to sleep again.
Recurring nightmares often have an underlying cause. In this article, we’ll explore the common causes for recurring nightmares, as well as treatment options for some of the underlying conditions.
Causes
Nightmares can occur for a number of reasons, but here are five of the most common.
1. Stress, anxiety, or depression
Stress is one of the emotions that many people have trouble channeling in a productive manner. Because of this, dreams may be one of the only opportunities for the body to work through those feelings.
One study hypothesized that stress and trauma from childhood can cause recurring nightmares later in life.Trusted Source Anxiety and depression can cause nightmares, as well.Trusted Source These nightmares may include situations related to self-worth, disease relapse, and for some, even panic attacks.
2. PTSD
Up to 71 percent of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience nightmares.Trusted Source PTSD is one of the primary causes of recurring nightmares in adults.
One of the most common symptoms of PTSD is “re-experiencing,” or having flashbacks to traumatic event or events. Sometimes these flashbacks can manifest as nightmares. For people with PTSD, recurring nightmares can have a variety of negative effects, including:
contributing to or worsening PTSD symptoms
contributing to or worsening depression
reducing sleep quality
The content of these nightmares can vary from person to person. For some people, these dreams are replicative nightmares in which the original trauma is replayed over and over again.Trusted Source For others, the nightmares are symbolic to the emotions and feelings of the original trauma.
From Helathline research publishers
