download free common nightmares that are actually warnings

In the motor vehicle accident study, 25% of victims were having nightmares two weeks later, but in the time relatively soon after the accident, they were not associated with long-term effects on sleep quality. “There are plenty of data supporting the idea that nightmares that become chronic are very detrimental to well-being: Sleep is disrupted we think about dreams during the day and become distressed,” Germain said. There is no evidence to support specific benefits of nightmares, she said, and nightmares that continue can have some ill effects on health. “That’s OK, but if you have them once a week or more, it usually bothers people, and it can be a problem,” Germain said.

In the overall population, about 85% of adults report having at least one nightmare in the past year, and 8% to 29% have monthly nightmares. “We think nightmares are so common that they have some purpose to process stressors,” said Anne Germain, director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Center at the University of Pittsburgh. It doesn’t sound helpful, but there is a flip side to these findings: Nightmares in the first few weeks after a traumatic event have not been associated with health problems, and experts think they could actually be beneficial. Another study reported that about 21% of women who were victims of sexual or physical assault experienced nightmares three months later, and those who were having such dreams were more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Survivors of serious car and motorcycle accidents still have nightmares about them months later, one study found, and these recurring dreams were linked to long-term sleep problems.

After a traumatic event, people often relive the experience in their dreams.

Download free common nightmares that are actually warnings