To suffer from nightmares especially those who are extroverted, open and eager for new experiences. But those who are anxious suffer the most from a psychological point of view
Who, like Indiana Jones, has never been threatened and chased, plunged into a cave or plunged into a ravine, swept away by water or touched by flames? In a dream, of course. Indeed, during a nightmare, one of those typical anxiety-laden dreams from which one wakes up in the middle of the night with a sense of fear and alarm, but also with the relief of discovering that that terror was due, in fact, only to a dream. It can be comforting to know that research has been published in the journal Dreaming has shown that it is mainly women who suffer from nightmares extroverted personalityopen to others, eager for new experiences, curious and creative. But who suffers the most from a psychological point of view of nightmares instead who has one anxious and neurotic personality.
Frequent nightmares in children
According to the authors of the research, led by Fredrik Brekke of the University of Oslo, extroverts tend to expect positive and harmonious experiences, so that they are almost surprised by the negative experience of nightmares; and it is in fact neurotics who find these phenomena particularly stressful, because they contrast with their constant need for control over their own experiences. In any case, as a rule, the nightmares
they do not represent a pathological manifestation, although they can become so when they are frequent and interfere with rest. Nightmares occur above all in times of stress, after major traumas, or even in relation to the intake of certain drugs. As reported by the evidence based UpToDate database, nightmares are notoriously a lot frequent in children.
Among the most exposed adults are the over 70s
As many as 85% of adults report having had at least one nightmare during the previous year, while between 2 and 6% have nightmares every week. Rochelle Zak of the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of California at San Francisco and Anoop Karippot of the Institute of Allergy Asthma and Sleep Medicine in San Diego, authors of the UpToDate article on nightmares: The frequency of nightmares increases with age with an increase of more than three times in the prevalence in adults over seventy (6.3%), compared to that in adults between 50 and 70 years (1.8%). Although during adolescence and youth nightmares are more common in females, when you become an adult or elderly there is no longer a gap between females and males.
The contents
Several studies have classified the typical contents of nightmares on the one hand and bad dreams on the other, also indicating their frequency. It should be borne in mind that, from the point of view of definition, there is a difference between a real nightmare and a bad dream: at the end of the nightmare we always wake up, which does not happen for a simple bad dream. A German study found that topping the list of nightmare themes is the falling, being chased, feeling paralyzed and also being late for an important event or appointment. A Canadian research of over 250 nightmares and over 400 bad dreams showed that assaults And interpersonal conflicts would be at the top of the list, followed by failures And
situations characterized by the loss of hope of being able to save oneself, by concerns for health or for other aspects of one’s integrity. According to DSM 5, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the essential element of the real nightmare would still be the presence in the dream of a threat to physical integrity of the dreamer’s safety or survival. And when nightmares occur with a certain frequency, they are well remembered, they cause a sudden awakening and are not due to some physical or mental problem or to the intake of substances, then according to the DSM 5 there are the elements for them to be included in a diagnosis of Nightmare disorder. It is a condition that can interfere not only with the quality of night’s rest but also with the quality of life, causing social and occupational malfunction. The moment when you should go to sleep is dreaded and delayed, precisely because of the fear of recurring nightmares.
The list of fears
According to what was reported with great precision by Genevive Robert and Antonio Zadra of the Department of Psychology of the University of Montral, in Canada, in an article published in Sleep magazine, in nightmares practically all the possible fears of humans, even the most irrational. The scary list, given that in addition to the themes already mentioned, during the nightmares one can be insulted, humiliated and betrayed, devils, monsters, very bad aliens, vampires, evil spirits, ghosts, practically all the characters of the literature of the horror. Very frequent natural cataclysms, such as floods, wars and earthquakes, the loss of loved ones or of the ability to speak and express oneself, and even all the most filthy creatures can appear, such as snakes, mice, cockroaches and worms; you may be subjected to sexual violence or you may find yourself naked in the midst of people without being able to find anything to cover yourself with.
The narrative structure
The two Canadian researchers also examined the narrative structure of these manifestations, identifying some differences between bad dreams and nightmares. Negative events can be identified as the starting point in about 75% of dream plots and are found in 60% of cases during the first third of the dream story they say. There is no difference in this sense between nightmares and dreams. On the other hand, a significantly higher proportion of nightmares have an unfortunate ending than bad dreams, which in part can have a partially or totally positive ending. Nightmares then have much more bizarre content than bad dreams and lead to awakening just when the threat becomes more extreme and negative emotions are at their maximum. In fact, it is these emotions that end up making sleep no longer possible.
What favors them
Some tricks can help reduce the frequency of nightmares and largely these are the same ones that tend to facilitate good sleep. As Rochelle Zak and Anoop Karippot indicate, first of all it is advisable to try to avoid, as far as possible, negative moods both during the day and at bedtime, also staying away from alcohol, nicotine and caffeine when evening comes. We should go to bed so as not to be hungry, but also avoiding too heavy dinners. A stop at the bathroom is also advisable, to avoid stimuli that can interrupt sleep or expose the body to unpleasant sensations that the narrative of the dream could incorporate. Other favoring factors are a regular routine, a quiet and not too hot room, and banning screens of all types.
April 16, 2023 (change April 16, 2023 | 07:54)
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