Nightmares

Definition

A nightmare is a dream occuring during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep that brings out feelings of strong fear, terror, distress, or extreme anxiety. Nightmares are usually in the latter part of the night and wake up the sleeper, who is able to remember the content of the dream.

See also:

Night terror
Sleep disorders

Alternative Names

Dreams - bad; Bad dreams

Considerations

Nightmares tend to be more common among children and become less frequent toward adulthood. About 50% of adults have occasional nightmares, women more often than men.

Common Causes

Anxiety and stress are the most common causes of nightmares. A major life event occurs before the nightmare in most cases.

Other causes of nightmares include:

Abrupt alcohol withdrawal
Breathing disorder in sleep (sleep apnea)
Death of a loved one (bereavement)
Excessive alcohol consumption
Illness with a fever
Reaction to or side effect of a drug
Recent withdrawal from a drug, such as sleeping pills
Sleep disorder (narcolepsy, sleep terror disorder)

Eating just before going to bed, which raises the body's metabolism and brain activity, may cause nightmares to occur more often.

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Nightmares

Review Date: 12/15/2008
Reviewed By: Linda Vorvick, MD, Family Physician, Seattle Site Coordinator, Lecturer, Pathophysiology, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Timothy A. Rogge, MD, private practice in Psychiatry, Kirkland, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).