Table of contents:
- What causes adult nightmares often?
- 1. Narcolepsy
- 2. Depression
- 3. Sleep apnea
- 4.Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- 5. Abstain from alcohol or drugs
- 6. Nightmare syndrome
It's not just kids who have nightmares, but adults too. Nearly 85 percent of adults still experience nightmares during sleep. Thirty percent of them have nightmares once a month that wake up from sleep, and another 2-6 percent have nightmares once a week.
Nightmares in adults are generally spontaneous. Some adults have scary dreams after eating late at night or eating spicy food, which can increase the work of the brain. Lack of sleep causes nightmares. The fear after watching a horror movie can also cause you to have scary dreams.
But you should be aware if your nights are always filled with nightmares. Frequent nightmares in adults can be an early sign of several more serious health conditions.
What causes adult nightmares often?
1. Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder. Narcolepsy occurs due to neurological disorders of the brain that cause a person to suddenly fall asleep at a time and place that may not be suitable for sleeping.
People with narcolepsy may also experience dream-like hallucinations and paralysis when they fall asleep or wake up, as well as disturbing sleep at night and inviting vivid nightmares. People with narcolepsy may have nightmares that seem more real than other people, it could be because their consciousness is always on the threshold between waking and sleeping, so the brain region responsible for dreams is more active during their sleep than in normal sleepers.
2. Depression
Depression can start from trauma or as a side effect of other serious illnesses. Depression adversely affects a sufferer's mood, feelings, stamina, appetite, sleep patterns, and concentration levels.
A depressed person will usually feel discouraged or motivated, continue to feel sad and hopeless. Dreaming is basically a thought process; a continuation of what we think about during our day of activities.
Depression can trigger nightmares while we are still thinking about these troublesome problems during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep and trying to solve them. This shows that our life experiences, both past and present, not only have an influence on our lives but in our dreams as well.
3. Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea often causes the sufferer's sleep to be disturbed. The airway of a person with sleep apnea can be partially or completely blocked so that you don't get enough fresh oxygen flow to the brain during sleep.
The brain interprets low oxygen levels as a real threat - you can choke or suffocate from air, and if your body doesn't react you will die. As part of the body's response to apnea, your heart will beat faster and your breath will be short, causing you to wake up in a panic and fear.
On the other hand, frequently waking up in the middle of sleep (due to reflex choking on snoring or shortness of breath) can increase memory which affects the content of dreams, thus triggering nightmares.
4.Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious anxiety disorder that occurs after someone experiences or witnesses severe traumatic events, such as domestic violence to war.
Unresolved conflicts don't just disappear from the mind. Memories of bad experiences will be buried in our minds and shape our personalities. Past trauma can be so lingering that it causes you to continue to feel anxious and insecure even in safe situations, or to seek self-righteousness.
We often try to ignore the poser that plagues us during the day. But when we sleep and are forced to "be alone" in our own heads, the brain will address this poser and interpret it as a nightmare.
Reporting from the Medical Daily, a research team from the University of Turku in Finland found that nightmares can increase the risk of suicide among the general population and World War II veterans.
5. Abstain from alcohol or drugs
Routinely drinking alcohol or abusing large amounts of drugs can damage brain function. And the effect of doing it before going to bed can make you jump straight into the REM sleep stage without further ado.
Once the effects of alcohol or drugs wear off in the middle of bedtime, the brain becomes confused and tries desperately to get back into the proper sleep cycle. This means that brain activity during sleep changes suddenly and irregularly, which makes it difficult for you to sleep well. This disruption of brain activity can continue even when you have stopped drinking alcohol or drugs for weeks.
6. Nightmare syndrome
If no other cause can be determined, frequent nightmares may be a symptom of a different sleep disorder. Nightmare syndrome, also known as 'dream anxiety disorder', is a sleep disorder (parasomnia) characterized by frequent nightmares for no apparent reason in adults. Neither medication nor a physical or mental illness can adequately explain why you can have nightmares.
