When Nightmares Won’t Go Away: Serious Diseases Linked to Nightmares

Lisa Franchi May 23, 2014

Nightmares. We all have them sometimes. Often, nightmares are a result of chronic stress, bad sleeping habits, and external/environmental factors. But did you know it can also be indicative of certain health status?

All dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. This is the stage where the brain processes emotional information and converts it into long-term memories. If the REM sleep is disrupted, whether through respiratory problems, hormonal changes, and other health issues, the content irritates the brain, resulting to nightmares.

Experts say we shouldn’t worry about nightmares and what they mean. However, if you are having real bad dreams often, you may need to see your doctor as soon as possible. Many studies have linked nightmares with a variety of serious health problems. Here they are.

Neurodegenerative Disorders

Studies published in the Lancet Neurology have shown that people with REM sleep disorders who experience intense nightmares that manifest physically during sleep – such as screaming, kicking and punching – are at risk for developing Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Whilst healthy people experience a paralysis during REM sleep, those with Parkinson’s and related disorders lose the ability to maintain paralysis at this stage. This allows them to act out their dreams, which people who don’t have neurodegenerative disorders generally cannot do.

Sleep Apnoea

Nightmares which prevent you from breathing properly (like you always wake up grasping for breath), may indicate sleep apnoea – a serious health problem that could result to death. Sleep apnoea wreaks havoc with your REM sleep due to lack of oxygen. People with this condition often dream of getting drowned or suffocated. But in reality their airway is blocked off. In a study reported in the journal Sleep Medicine, nightmares disappeared in 91% of patients with sleep apnoea were treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.

Psychotic Episodes

There’s strong association between nightmares and mental illness. An English study found that children who suffer from frequent nightmares or bouts of night terrors may be at an increased risk of psychotic experiences in adolescence. According to the researchers, the experiences we had during the day are still processed at night and this alters stress responses physiologically. They advise parents to check if the nightmares occur regularly, over the months and years.

Heart Disease

Most heart attacks occur during the REM sleep. “When we switch into REM sleep, our breathing becomes more rapid, irregular, and shallow, our eyes jerk rapidly in various directions, and our limb muscles become temporarily paralyzed," says the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and males develop penile erections. When people awaken during REM sleep, they often describe bizarre and illogical tales.” So it’s not the nightmares that are causing physical stress but rather the REM sleep, which in turn causes the nightmares.

In 2003, a Swedish study discovered that in elderly men and women, increased nightmares were associated with an increase in irregular heartbeats, as well as in spasmodic chest pain. Researchers also found that the occurrence of chest pain and irregular heartbeats increased in 40- to 64-year-old women with frequent nightmares and poor sleep. The occurrence of spasmodic chest pain was further increased after menopause.

Therapy and Treatment Options for Nightmares

There are a variety of treatments that can help ward off nightmares and improve your overall health. They include the following:

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is one of the popular treatments for nightmares. However, for it to be effective, it must be administered by a licensed and trained therapist. In a hypnotherapy session, the patient is given suggestions first to empower themselves during nightmares to change their outcomes, and also to help them be able to dream without nightmares. Patients then usually use a script at home, which they listen to at night prior to sleeping. These help the person get into a relaxed state and repeat suggestions regarding avoiding nightmares and changing outcomes of dreams.

Imagery Reversal Therapy (IRT)

In this treatment, the patient tries to confront the terrifying details of their nightmares in a safe environment. They draw, describe or write about the scary thing, talk directly to it and about it, and challenge it.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Here, patients meet regularly with a therapist to discuss their nightmares and consider any emotional problems that might be causing them.