![]() Withdrawal: Giving up medications (including sleeping pills and antidepressants) or substances (including alcohol) also can result in nightmares.Medications: Some prescriptions ( antidepressants, for example) affect brain chemicals, so nightmares you’ve been having could be related to medications you’re on.Sleep disorders: Restless leg syndrome, twitching while sleeping, sleep apnea-all of these types of conditions can bring on nightmares.Lack of sleep: Overtired from sleeplessness? That very condition could cause even more sleeplessness in the form of disturbing nightmares-a vicious circle.A study published in The Journal of The Mind and Body showed that seven of 10 participants had nightmares after eating junk food just before bedtime. And a study published by International Journal of Psychophysiology reported that spicy food and junk food (candy bars, ice cream, and other sugary treats) trigger more brainwaves. That late snack increases metabolism, causing the brain to become more active, leading to more dream time. Depression: Mood issues related to such life changes as divorce or break-up, death of a loved one, financial woes, and career concerns can lead to nightmares in some of us.Anxiety and stress: Worried about work? Stressing about a relationship? Such common issues can manifest themselves in sleep-depriving nightmares.So what causes nightmares? Here are seven common triggers: According to, some 50 percent of adults experience nightmares. While nightmares can be disturbing for a child, they’re a normal part of our development. What causes nightmares for you, however, may not have the slightest effect on anyone else. And there are any number of factors that trigger them. Nightmares are unique to each of us, they’re personal, and they’re so fleeting that we often don’t remember much about them. “The dreamer may wake up to avoid the perceived danger.” For now, here’s what we do know about these “stories” that play out in our minds while we sleep: They’re “lengthy, elaborate dreams with imagery that evokes fear, anxiety, or sadness,” as Psychology Today puts it. Unfortunately, there’s more mystery than quantifiable fact surrounding nightmares. It would help to understand what nightmares are. Either way, those startling dreams beg the question, “What causes nightmares?” Around 85 percent of adults report having at least one nightmare in the past year, while 8 to 29 percent of us have monthly nightmares. Perhaps the experience still pops up from time to time bad dreams may be more common in children, but adults aren’t immune to them. You may remember, as a kid, occasionally waking up in a cold sweat, startled out of your slumber by one of those frighteningly vivid nightmares.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |