Nightmares Sleeping Disorders

 Nightmares sleeping disorders occur during REM sleep and mostly in the later part of the night. They are dreams resulting in anxiety, and extreme fear, nightmares occur mostly in young children, although adults may also experience nightmares, they are more rare than usual. Adult nightmares are usually triggered by some form of stress, grief or trauma, however in children nightmares appear to be a normal part of their growth, the nightmares decrease as the age increases.

If the person experiencing the nightmare is awakened they can usually vividly recall all aspects of their dream, and give a blow by blow account of their dream. Whereas, those who experience night terrors are impossible to arouse, and  when asked about their experience later, they have no idea what may have caused them to scream out in the middle of the night.

For a nightmare to be categorized as nightmare sleeping disorders, certain criteria would need to be met, mainly that of repeated occurrences  of sudden awakenings in a state of high alert and alarm, having experienced dreams involving threats to their own life or those of their loved ones. If the nightmares continue to such a degree that their normal daily function is impaired, and there is no associated medical condition which may be responsible for the problem.

Numerous prescription medications may cause nightmare disorders  reserpine, beta blockers, antidepressants, heart drugs, antibiotics  such as ciprofloxacin, antihistamines, appetite suppressers such as fenfluramine, antidepressants, Parkinson's drugs such as levodopa, and ulcer drugs (cimetidine). Sudden withdrawl from these drugs in an effort to combat the recurrent nightmares, is very likely to exacerbate the problem.

Treatment for nightmares in adults, if medication is not the cause, may be best handled by relaxation therapies,  EFT, tai chi, yoga, hypnotherapy, improved nutrition, elimination of caffeine drinks,  making every effort to eliminate stress from the environment, and adopting a healthy program of sleep hygiene, may help considerably in curing nightmares slepeping disorders.

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