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Nightmare
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| Nightmare | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Sleep Medicine, Psychology, Psychiatry |
| Causes | Stress, anxiety, fever |
A nightmare, also known as a bad dream,[1] is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations of discomfort, psychological or physical terror, or panic. After a nightmare, a person will often awaken in a state of distress and may be unable to return to sleep for a short period of time.[2] Recurrent nightmares may require medical help, as they can interfere with sleeping patterns and cause insomnia.
Nightmares can have physical causes such as sleeping in an uncomfortable position or having a fever, or psychological causes such as stress or anxiety. Eating before going to sleep, which triggers an increase in the body's metabolism and brain activity, can be a potential stimulus for nightmares.[3]
The prevalence of nightmares in children (5–12 years old) is between 20 and 30%, and for adults between 8 and 30%.[4] In common language, the meaning of nightmare has extended as a metaphor to many bad things, such as a bad situation or a scary monster or person.
- ^ Harper, Douglas. "nightmare". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ American Psychiatric Association (2000), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed, TR, p. 631
- ^ Stephen, Laura (2006). "Nightmares". Psychologytoday.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Peter, Helga; Penzel, Thomas; Jörg, Hermann Peter (2007). Enzyklopädie der Schlafmedizin. Heidelberg: Springer Medizin Verlag. ISBN 978-3-540-28839-8.
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