6 reasons for nightmares
Nightmares are extremely unpleasant. According to statistics, they occur in 4% of adults and almost 70% of children and adolescents. During a nightmare, a person sees himself in a dream in a very difficult, life-threatening situation. He wakes up suddenly, in a state of fright and, as a rule, clearly remembers his dream. Feelings of depression and anxiety sometimes persist throughout the day, interfering with work and normal communication. If such episodes are repeated frequently, mental disorders associated with constant stress and a fear of falling asleep may develop.
According to experts, there are 6 main factors in the occurrence of nightmares.
Stress
Nearly 80% of severe dreams are caused by PTSD. Moreover, the pictures that the sleeper observes usually have an autobiographical content. A serious illness, the death of a loved one, a past accident, violence, a collision with hostile, aggressive and dangerous people, a stay in a terrorist attack or hostilities zone can lead to nightmares.
Less commonly, there are cases of nightmares haunting a person who is experiencing prolonged stress due to troubles at work, family discomfort or financial problems.
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Eating spicy food shortly before bed
Dishes abounding in spicy herbs and spices increase metabolism and increase body temperature. At the same time, it becomes difficult to fall asleep, sleep becomes superficial and restless, and nightmares may appear.
However, a bad dream is not excluded in the case when a person just ate a hearty meal shortly before going on vacation. The reason is not in the quality of the food consumed, but in its quantity: an overfilled stomach causes a feeling of heaviness, which changes the nature of sleep.
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The predominance of fatty foods during the day
It has been found that people who adhere to the principles of a healthy diet are much less susceptible to nightmares than lovers of fast food, heavy meat dishes and pastries flavored with fat cream.
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Alcohol
A glass of good wine at dinner hasn't hurt anyone yet. This cannot be said about strong drinks, especially if a lot of them are drunk. In low doses, alcohol causes relaxation and slight drowsiness. A substantial amount of alcohol leads a person into excitement, and it is replaced by a state of stunnedness and an unhealthy, superficial sleep, which is characterized by a delay in the onset of the fast phase. In such a situation, it is very likely that a difficult dream arises, which can be annoyingly repeated. It is possible that regular consumption of large portions of alcohol and subsequent withdrawal symptoms will make nightmares chronic.
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Taking certain medications
Oddly enough, heavy dreams very often arise from taking those drugs that are designed to stabilize the state of the nervous system and eliminate sleep disorders. Some antidepressants, hypnotics, and also medications used as anesthesia have a similar effect (and quite long). In addition, nightmares are often reported by patients taking malaria medications.
In this case, the side effect disappears immediately after drug withdrawal.
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Health problems
Nightmares also occur with some diseases. It can be not only mental disorders, but also any ailments accompanied by intense fever and fever. Severe dreams sometimes disturb patients in severe pain and people who have been victims of food poisoning.
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If you often have nightmares, you wake up in anxiety that you cannot get rid of during the day, you have difficulty falling asleep, remember well the content of heavy dreams - this is a reason to see a doctor. You may need specialist advice or drug therapy. Do not be left alone with your problem: the sooner you get help, the faster you will cope with the disease.
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Maria Kulkes Medical journalist About the author
Education: First Moscow State Medical University named after I. M. Sechenov, specialty "General Medicine".
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