Why your nightmares are a sign you could die prematurely: Top doctors reveal exactly what these common scary dreams mean for your health… and how to stop them

Have you been chased by a monster, lost all your teeth, or have you returned to a naked event to wake up with just one panic and realize that they were all a dream?

You probably have at least one of these common nightmares. And now researchers reveal that they can show the importance of nightmares, our health and how they can be reduced.

Although most of us have nightmares from time to time, the American Sleep Medical Academy is thought to have a nightmare disorder of about 4 percent of adults (equivalent of approximately two million adults in the UK).

This is a sleep disorder characterized by frequent and vivid nightmares that cause anxiety and sleep cuts, patients try to avoid filling – significantly affect their quality of life.

Dr. Imperial College London is a neuroscientist. Abidemi Otaiku says: ‘Our view of nightmares has developed a lot in the last few decades. Twenty years ago, they were seen as a symptom of other problems such as TSSB [Post-traumatic stress disorder] or anxiety. Now someone can be diagnosed with nightmares disorder. ‘

Significantly, research shows that nightmares can be a sign of an underlying health condition. A study conducted by the European Academy of Neurology Academy in June found that early deaths (before 70 years of age) compared to other risk factors such as obesity, weak diet and smoking.

It is three times more likely to die early than those who say that adults who have weekly nightmares have nightmares (once a month).

Nevertheless, despite this greater understanding, both patients and doctors may not appreciate the importance of nightmares. “Nobody goes to GP about nightmares because everyone thinks that nothing can be done, or he says.

However, recent research suggests that a little -known treatment, known as image rehearsal therapy (Ir), which includes a different, happy last dream for your nightmare.

So why do we see nightmares? Essentially, the dream process went wrong.

Normal dreams are thought to help emotional regulation and processing. Studies have shown that the right frontal lobe, which plays a role in controlling our emotions while awakening, is also linked to our emotions during dreams.

‘An idea is that we have nightmares because our frontal lobes are less active while sleeping – so we cannot make the same emotional arrangement.’

In addition, all dreams occur in the REM stage, which is close to waking up, the fast eye movement or REM, the sleeping phase, so as a result of this process, it adds DR HAVENS, DR HAVENS, DR HAVENS, like a system that blows when the nightmare content is heavy – the system that blows’.

And he says that certain nightmare scenarios, such as chase or fall of your teeth, are surprisingly widespread: ‘A theory is the connection of these themes to the man of the stone age, because they were all at that time, and almost reflect our fears of archetypical life.’

Research found that some genes can make us more prone to nightmares, and some personality traits increase the risk of being neurotic or very worrying.

“There is a need to fully research the connection, but a style of concern for an anxiety of anxiety is that a theory fueled anxiety, and this anxiety can increase the quality or structure of our sleep.

According to research on the quality of sleep, eating habits, dreams and nightmares of 1,082 students by scientists in Canada, diet may also play a role.

Researchers reported that milk foods often affect people’s dreams, and that they believe that it may be due to lactose intolerance (inability to completely digest sugar in milk) – probably because it may disrupt the sleep of gas or stomach pain while sleeping and affect dreams.

The same connection to other food intolerances and allergies, researchers announced last month in the psychology of the Frontiers magazine and added that dietary interventions can therefore reduce the frequency of nightmares.

Understanding the causes of nightmares is important because of its effects on health.

Dr Justin Havens, psychological therapist and expert in the nightmare based on Cheltenham

At a simple level, they can disrupt sleep – and weak or broken sleep is known to be an important risk factor for cardiovascular problems, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Dr. Otaiku, who pioneered the study, often defining nightmares as a procedure of premature death can be explained in two ways.

First, trauma and stress can cause nightmares, thus a reflection of weak physical and mental health. And second, nightmares can cause stress response and cortisol [the hormone released in response to stress] It can cause aging of our cells and leads to higher levels of inflammation in our body. ‘

Frequent nightmares are also linked to the onset of dementia and Parkinson.

“We know that typical symptoms, such as tremor and memory problems in Parkinson, tend to develop at a later stage – but nightmares may be an early sign, Dr Dr. Otaiku explains.

It is thought that nightmares can also contribute to the development of these conditions.

When we sleep, toxic proteins are cleaned from the brain, dr otaiku.

‘Destroyed sleep may affect this process, so if you have often nightmares that may have a significant impact.’

According to a study conducted by the University of Cambridge and King’s College London, an increase in nightmares may be an early sign of autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (where the immune system attacks the body).

Researchers have found that many people with autoimmune rheumatic diseases have reported live and sad nightmares as one of the oldest signs.

“It is important to know which symptoms come before exacerbation, D said Dr Melanie Sloan, a senior research assistant at the University of Cambridge, says.

‘This can help you to diagnose and treatment earlier to reduce exacerbation.’

It is thought that nightmares may be a sign of autoimmune situations, because any inflammation or infection in the body can ‘make it less stable’, Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Foundation confidence, a consultant neurologist, who is involved in the study, adds Professor Guy Leschziner.

Simple steps such as good sleeping applications (going to bed and at the same time waking up, reducing caffeine intake and reducing electronic use before going to bed) and minimizing stress can reduce nightmares, these measures do not help people with nightmares disorder.

The best option here is ‘image rehearsal therapy’ says Dr Otaiku. IRT is available in NHS sleep clinics and found a strong evidence of ‘strong evidence and IT for’ to reduce the frequency of nightmares, seriousness and distress’ which reported the BMC Psychiatry magazine in 2023.

Dr Otaiku teaches people a technique that helps people feel that their nightmares are not inevitable and that they can control them, Dr says Dr Otaiku.

‘This information alone may make people less worried before sleep, which continues to sleep and prevent their brains from creating anxiety -loaded nightmares.’

Dr Havens adds: ‘People who have seen nightmares for decades may find that they are going within a week, even in the night of use of this technique.’

Can a high -tech watch help?

Nightware Watch has sensors following the heart rate and movement during sleep

The new ‘dream engineering’ technologies, which are tried to treat nightmares, contain a headband that plays light sounds during sleep.

In 2022, a study containing 36 patients published in the existing biology found that the frequency of nightmare fell from 2.9 to 0.19 per week after using the headband for two weeks, which was less than the control group of rehearsal treatment.

Another approach is Nightware, an hour with sensors following the heart rate and movement during sleep. When they are abnormal and are considered to show a nightmare, the clock vibrates. It is thought that these vibrations are strong enough to remove the user from nightmares, but weak enough to prevent them from waking up. A 2022 study at the CLINICAL SLEEP MEDICAL JOURNAL (Maker) found that the device improved sleep quality compared to a placebo clock.

Dr. Imperial College London is a neuroscientist. “These new technologies will probably not replace existing treatments, but one day can be used to make it even more effective in addition to existing treatments, Abidemi Otaiku explains.