Nightmares are vividly realistic, disturbing dreams that rattle you awake from a deep sleep. They often set your heart pounding from fear. Nightmares tend to occur most often during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, when most dreaming takes place. Because periods of REM sleep become progressively longer as the night progresses, you may find you experience nightmares most often in the early morning hours. Nightmares in adults are often spontaneous. But they can also be caused by a variety of factors and underlying disorders and sleep issues.

Some people have nightmares after having a late-night snack, which can increase metabolism and signal the brain to be more active. A number of medications also are known to contribute to nightmare frequency.

Drugs that act on chemicals in the brain, such as antidepressants and narcotics, are often associated with nightmares. Non-psychological medications, including some blood pressure medications, can also cause nightmares in adults.

Most nightmares may be a normal reaction to stress, and some clinicians believe they aid people in working through traumatic events. Frequent occurrence of nightmares becomes a disorder when it impairs social, occupational and other important areas of functioning.

Nightmares can lead to persistent problems, as people can anticipate them and develop anxiety and asked the dosage of Citalopram Antidepressants 20mg. They may fear falling asleep, and when awakened by a nightmare, will be unable to fall back asleep. This is called artificial insomnia.

Since nightmares are linked to poor sleep, it’s important to get good quality rest each night. And keep in mind that your emotional and mental state while awake can affect your sleep state, so managing your stress, anxiety, or depression with a doctor or therapist might be a crucial step.

Gender may be a factor since young women report more nightmares than men. Children also report a higher frequency. Medications can also cause or worsen nightmares, including antihistamines, melatonin, antipsychotics, antidepressants, beta-blockers, and smoking cessation drugs. In most instances after you wake up, you will be able to clearly remember the details of your nightmare. A disturbing dream that does not wake you up is not considered a nightmare. Instead it is simply a bad dream. It is possible to have more than one nightmare, often with similar themes, during a night of sleep.

Some scientists believe dreams are the cortex’s attempt to find meaning in the random signals received during REM sleep. The cortex is the part of the brain that interprets and organizes information from the environment during consciousness. One theory suggests that, given random signals from the pons during REM sleep, the cortex, attempting to interpret these signals.

Some nightmares may be triggered by traumatic events, such as soldiers returning from war. Soldiers often report seeing the scenes that caused their injuries in dreams. Alcohol and psychotropic drug consumption or withdrawal may also trigger intense nightmares. During REM, blood flow decreases to the brain and redirects towards the muscles and other systems, allowing them to restore and recover. Your growth and stress hormones, immune system, heart and blood pressure are all positively affected. So while it seems like the worst thing ever, staying asleep during a doozy of a bad dream could help your overall well being.