If you experience frequent nightmares, preventing you from getting a good night's sleep, then this may be indicative of a sleep disorder. Nightmares are classified as a parasomnia, which is used to refer to unwanted events or experiences that can occur during the stages of falling asleep and waking up, as well as throughout different phases of sleep.
If you suffer from nightmare disorder, you may dread sleeping, worrying that each night brings a new episode. Waking up frightened and unable to get back to sleep can further exacerbate the problem by leading to fatigue during the day.
Nightmares are often vivid and realistic dreams which become increasingly distressing, prompting you to wake up. They generally occur during the last portion of your sleep cycle and may centre around a sense of being in danger, or focus on other troubling topics, provoking negative sentiments.
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Terror
- Anger
- Rage
- Embarrassment
- Disgust
- Other negative feelings
Many people wake up remembering the details of their nightmares. A bad dream that doesn't wake you isn't usually a nightmare, but they may have similar themes. It is possible to have multiple nightmares in one night.
Nightmares often occur during the last stage of sleep, known as REM. During this period, around 20-25% of our sleeping time is dedicated to it with the final stretch often exceeding an hour. This explains why most nightmares are likely to happen in the last third of the night. Nevertheless, for those suffering from PTSD, or related traumas, these can emerge at any point during sleep.