Nightmares in Medical Practice
Anna Valerievna Kalinchuk, Andrey Viktorovich Antsyborov
Interactive science March 20, 2020 DOI: 10.21661/r-530443 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Nightmares are common and not inherently pathological, but frequent nightmares that disturb sleep can cause clinically significant impairment and are classified as a sleep disorder (parasomnia) requiring treatment. The review surveys theoretical models, causes, diagnostics, and treatment strategies for nightmares. |
Abstract
Nightmares are scary or disturbing dreams which are associated with negative feelings, such as fear, terror or disgust. These feelings oftentimes awake the dreamer, who can easily recollect the content of the nightmare. Nightmares are not necessarily a symptom of a disease. Moreover, nightmares with little emotional response are experienced by almost all people once in a while without any risk for their health. However, nightmares that occur frequently and disturb the sleep might lead to clinically significant impairments in social, professional and other areas of life. They are considered a sleep disorder (parasomnia) and require a proper treatment. This review discusses the theoretical models of nightmares, their causes, diagnostics and treatment strategies.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming | 2019 | Review | |
| Sleep and dreaming are for important matters | 2013 | Review | |
| Nightmare Disorder and Isolated Sleep Paralysis | 2020 | Review | |
| My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? | 2019 | Review | |
| Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors | 1996 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 23
- Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Sleep 2002
- Efficacy of a Cognitive‐Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia and Nightmares in Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans With PTSD Journal of Clinical Psychology April 29, 2013
- Lucid Dreaming Treatment for Nightmares: A Pilot Study Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2006
- A combined group treatment for nightmares and insomnia in combat veterans: A pilot study Journal of Traumatic Stress November 11, 2009
- Treating Chronic Nightmares of Sexual Assault Survivors with an Intellectual Disability – Two Descriptive Case Studies Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities February 2, 2006
and 18 more in the library