Table of contents:
- Dreams experienced when a high fever
- Why do you have nightmares when you have a high fever?
- Body temperature increases
- Effects of drugs
- Self-protection mechanism
- Steps to prevent nightmares
Have you ever had a terrible nightmare when you were having a high fever? Usually high fever accompanied by nightmares often occurs in children. However, it is also possible that adults will experience nightmares when they are sick. This is of course very disturbing to your rest, especially when you need a lot of rest to quickly recover from a fever or illness. So, it is important to know the causes of nightmares when fever is high and steps you can take to prevent them. Check out the full answer below.
Dreams experienced when a high fever
Usually a nightmare that occurs when a person has a high fever occurs in the REM sleep stage or rapid eye movement. This stage is reached approximately 70 to 90 minutes after you fall asleep. Dreams that occur when you have a fever are usually very real and threatening, as if the terrifying incident really happened in the room you were sleeping in or was related to things that happened that day. Because it is so scary, many people will wake up from sleep and be able to clearly remember the contents of their dreams. Some people also report that after successfully falling asleep again, the same nightmares will continue or recur. Nightmares when high fever are also often accompanied by delirious conditions, restlessness, or even sleepwalking.
You will wake up feeling bad, between scared and tired but also upset because you just want to rest. If you or your child experiences this, calm yourself by drinking warm water or turning on a light sleeper with a soft light. Also, make sure that your body temperature does not spike up during your sleep.
Why do you have nightmares when you have a high fever?
There are various factors that can trigger you or your child to experience nightmares when a fever is high. The following are things that can cause nightmares.
Body temperature increases
When you have a high fever, your body temperature, especially in the head, will increase. Changes in temperature will have a direct impact on the work of your brain. Temperatures that are too hot or above 37 degrees Celsius run the risk of causing hallucinations and disorientation if you are awake. However, when you fall asleep, your brain will emit images that feel very real and clear through nightmares. This happens because the fever will interfere with and slow down the work of enzymes in brain cells. This causes the chemicals in the brain to be out of balance.
In addition, when you reach the REM sleep stage, you lose control of your body temperature. This happens because the body's function to regulate body temperature is rested when you fall asleep. As a result, when you have a high fever, your body temperature can increase and become even hotter when you reach the REM sleep stage. The heated brain becomes very active even though your body is sending signals to stay resting. This is what will cause nightmares.
Effects of drugs
High fever is generally caused by certain diseases. The drugs you take to cure this disease can apparently cause nightmares. Antibiotics, antihistamines, and medications for blood pressure are some examples of drugs that risk causing you to sleep poorly and nightmares. The reason is, these drugs can affect the levels of chemicals in the brain and disrupt your normal sleep stages.
Self-protection mechanism
Very high body temperature or heat will be read by your sleeping brain as a form of threat or a sign that something is wrong. The brain tries hard to wake you up so that you can protect or escape from the threat. On the other hand, your body tells your brain to rest. This eventually manifests in a nightmare, where the brain becomes active because you feel threatened but your body remains asleep.
Steps to prevent nightmares
If you or your child has a high fever, try to sleep as comfortable as possible. Make sure you are wearing a cotton shirt that is light and breathable. So if your body temperature rises and you start sweating, you won't feel too hot while sleeping. So, it is also important to maintain room temperature, not too cold but not too hot.
We recommend that you or your child also sleep in the room or mattress where you or your child normally sleeps every day. Changing rooms or mattresses, for example to parents' rooms, will increase anxiety in the brain when sleeping. Strange places your brain will interpret as a threat and it will be harder for you to rest.
Also avoid eating too much before bed. This can cause your metabolism to fall apart because when you fall asleep, your body tries to digest and burn calories from the food you eat. Sleep is not restful and your brain can't really rest.
