
A horrifying and scary scene can oppress you in a dream and that’s exactly what a nightmare is.Ī nightmare is a vivid dream that is emotionally intense and thus they are easily recalled. The word ‘nightmare’ is derived from old English folklore stories where ‘mare’ means a malicious entity or a mythological demon, a female evil spirit who sits on one’s chest while sleeping and torments them with negative images of fear and dread.Īccording to Dictionary.Com, “Nightmare is a terrifying dream in which the dreamer experiences feelings of helplessness, extreme anxiety, sorrow, etc. It can induce dread and can remain in the conscious thought for a long time. The nightmare wakes you up in fear and distress and you may not be able to sleep for some time.

The content of the dream is extremely uncomfortable and causes physical discomfort and psychological terror and panic.

It is emotionally high with a lot of fear, disgust, frustration, and anxiety associated with it.Ī nightmare is a type of bad dream that is intense and wakes up the dreamer from deep sleep. It occurs during REM (Rapid eye movement) sleep. It’s spine-chilling, unpleasant, and disturbing. Readers are urged to consult with their medical providers for all questions.The Bottom Line Nightmare Definition (Nightmare Meaning)Ī nightmare is a terrifying, scary, and shocking negative dream that induces fear and alarm.
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This content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide any expert, professional or specialty advice or recommendations. Take a brain health assessment, play games, discover new recipes and more with AARP’s Staying Sharp. And if you’re troubled by consistent nightmares, contact your health care provider. Keep a notebook and pen by your bed to jot down details after waking. Repeat details of your most recent dream in your mind before opening your eyes. And try staying in a “dreamlike” state when you wake up. Don’t drink alcohol before bed: It interferes with REM sleep, the stage when most dreams occur. If you want to focus on something in your dreams, say it out loud three times to try adding it to the list. When you first lie down, your mind races through the events of your day, making a to-do list for the night, Stickgold explains. There are tricks to help us recall, and possibly control, our nocturnal escapades. So if you’re burdened by upsetting feelings during the day, they can be worse at night when emotions run rampant, one study found. “If you experience some kind of traumatic event, chances are you will have a nightmare soon after,” McNamara notes.ĭepression and anxiety can increase the likelihood of nightmares because they overstimulate areas of the brain, such as the amygdala, which is responsible for fear, worry and panic. And women report more frequent and intense nightmares than men,” according to Patrick McNamara, author of Nightmares: The Science and Solution of Those Frightening Visions During Sleep.īad days can also bring bad dreams. “Between 8 to 30 percent of adults have a nightmare at least once a month. Even if the dream doesn’t make sense,” Stickgold says.īecause dreams intensely engage the emotional regions of the brain, it’s no surprise that sexual fantasies occur - as well as nightmares. But when we dream about it, we’re 10 times more likely to solve it. “We’re 2½ times more likely to gain insight into a conundrum when we sleep on it.

This helps us solve problems, make sense of our world, find patterns and predict what’s next, Stickgold’s research has found. “When you dream, your brain is figuring out an event - looking for the take-home message, while throwing away the little details,” said Robert Stickgold, a cognitive neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, during a TED Talk.

Key elements of this new information are then added to what we already know about ourselves. When our body snoozes, our brain is busy sorting through the experiences of the day.
