Nightmares can have a lot of different causes, and it's not unusual that there are several factors at play. The two main categories are physical causes and psychological causes.

Physical: The physical causes of nightmares can be as simple as sleeping in an uncomfortable or awkward position. Another reason can be physical illness, like having a fever. Fevers are in fact known to cause particularly intense or confusing dreams, usually known as fever dreams.

Psychological: Stress and anxiety are highly common causes of nightmares. Another common factor is eating before sleep, which increases metabolism and brain activity - which is a potential stimulus for nightmares. Nightmares can also be a side effect of various drugs. 

Because nightmares cause nocturnal awakenings and sometimes a fear of falling asleep again, they can have a big impact on sleep quality. The result of having a nightmare during the night can be similar to that of experiencing insomnia. People who suffer from chronic nightmares get less rest than those who do not. 

Nightmares are usually rare occurrences and do not require treatment. However, some people experience them that often that they become an impact on daily life. Psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung both agreed that people who frequently have nightmares could be re-experiencing stressful events from their past. PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) can cause reoccurring nightmares. There are different treatment techniques to help people who face these problems.

Have you had any bad dreams lately?

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Last week I wrote an article on dreams, which you can read here. This week we're going to take a look at the more unpleasant kind of dreams, better known as nightmares. 

Nightmares are bad dreams that have the potential of causing strong emotional responses with those who experience them; typically fear, anxiety, despair, or great sadness. These dreams usually contain situations of psychological or physical terror or panic. 

On average, nightmares occur a lot less often than normal dreams - as little as once a month. Nightmares also happen a lot more frequently within younger age groups, and statistically teenagers experience them the most. 

Studies show that people are far more likely to remember a nightmare than a good dream. Just like other dreams, nightmares usually occur during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep. During REM, all muscles in your body are paralyzed and unable to move. One of the main differences between dreams and nightmares, is that nightmares are far more likely to make you wake up. And when you jolt awake out of your nightmare, your ability to recall is far better than if you remained asleep.

Although their names are similar, nightmares are not to be confused with night terrors. Nightmares are considered to be unharmful as long as they aren't recurrent, while night terrors are a sleep disorder. Night terrors, unlike dreams, happen during the NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep. During this stage, the muscles are not paralyzed. It's also in this stage of sleep that sleepwalking occurs. 

Night terrors are experienced in a similar way as panic attacks, where inconsolability is a universal feature. Screaming, sweating, rapid heartbeat and exhibit rapid breathing are common symptoms. When someone is having a night terror, it is often not possible to wake them up. Most of the time, they won't remember that it happened the next morning. Luckily, less than 1% of adults experience having night terrors.