Source: Lifehack
Most of us have had the experience of deeply distressing nightmares that wake us up. But for those suffering symptoms of nightmare disorder, the experience can be terrifying, let alone the idea of falling asleep in the first place.
Untreated, nightmare disorder can have a significant, dastardly impact on our ability to just function normally, day to day.
It’s not just about having a restless night’s sleep and struggling to get out of bed the next morning laden with fatigue.If you suffer nightmare disorder, you often experience greater frequency of your nightmares either across different nights or as a sequence of disturbing dreams in the same night.
Fear and anxiety often wreak havoc on you emotionally, mentally and physically when trying to fall asleep, during and between your sleep cycles and also upon waking. You’re terrified of sleeping!
If you’re tired of experiencing no change even though you’ve reduced your alcohol intake, started exercising and have been going to bed earlier, there is help at hand.
Yes, physical changes you make can be extremely helpful (e.g. modifying your diet and eating plan, listening more to positive, inspiring audio books, music and podcasts, doing yoga) but you may be missing some key psychological strategies that can really help to kick your symptoms to the kerb.
How to know if I have nightmare disorder?
The International Classification of Sleep Disorders III provides minimum criteria to determine if individuals suffer from nightmare disorder described below:
a) Dreams are recurrent, clearly recalled and involve vividly feeling threats to survival, safety or physical integrity which often jolt you to awaken;
b) Upon wakening, you rapidly feel highly alert and become quickly oriented;
c) The nightmare itself or the sleep disturbance caused when awakening from it, causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning as indicated by experiencing at least one of the following:
Mood disturbance – emotions upon waking persist after the nightmare
The emotions aren’t vivid and distressing only during your nightmare.
Even as you awaken they remain very real, are highly intense and usually contain intense levels of anger, fear, terror and/or sadness.In fact the mood you experience can persist for awhile after you awake from the nightmare and the feeling is difficult to shake.
Dream recall is vivid
Many people find it difficult to recall their dreams upon waking even with making a concerted effort to do so.
With nightmare disorder, dream recall is quick and vivid and there is little to no confusion about the details of the dream.
Falling asleep again is challenging
You can often suffer physical symptoms upon waking. Breathlessness, sweatiness and tightness in the chest can heighten your attention to remain awake.
Being unable to calm yourself physically and mentally makes falling asleep again not only difficult, but awfully frightening.
There also can remain the fear of re-entering the nightmare you’ve jolted awake from or re-experiencing the dream again.
You develop avoidant behaviors
Bedtime anxiety can become a common feature. A fear of the darkness associated with sleep time can also develop.
Social, interpersonal and occupational function starts to subside
Your ability to concentrate and focus at work or be fully present during social interactions starts to drop.
You might also start to feel silly and ashamed that you can’t ‘get over’ a silly nightmare.
Daytime sleepiness, fatigue and low energy
Your energy levels and fatigue can suffer from not getting enough of the right quality sleep, having incomplete sleep cycles and not getting enough cycles in the first place.
During the day you wake up groggy and feel like you’re dragging your feet to concentrate, focus and get anything done.
Other symptoms
In addition to the above, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) explains that a diagnosis of nightmare disorder is not catalyzed by the effect of medication nor drugs and also is not attributed to the presence of another mental disorder (e.g. post-traumatic stress disorder). The DSM-V also indicates how severe a diagnosis might be pending the different time periods of experiencing the symptoms.
To gain an accurate diagnosis, work with a qualified, registered mental health professional. Explore your medical history, your previous and current use of drugs and medication, your previous sleep disturbances as well as presence of any similar sleep disturbance in your family and the experience of traumatic events and/or relationships.
Whilst there doesn’t yet exist a stand-alone diagnostic tool for nightmare disorder, there can be valuable clues in exploring these potential influences as well.
The Scary Truth About Untreated Nightmare Disorder
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 4 % of the population suffer from nightmare disorder.[1] Untreated, prolonged effects can lead to the development of anxiety and depressive disorders. For those who might already be suffering symptoms of these, it can worsen them.
Whilst development of different types of insomnia, breathing problems such as asthma and snoring have been linked to nightmare disorder, one of the most alarming links is the likelihood…
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