Are Nightmares a Sleep Disorder?

Everyone experiences a nightmare at some point in time. They usually occur while you are a child, but they can happen to anyone. The frequency at which nightmare occur tends to decrease as you get older, but many adults experience frequent nightmares. No matter how old you are, having constant nightmares can make sleep and dreaming unpleasant, and you may want to seek the help of our sleep apnea doctor to help you rest easy at night.

There are numerous causes of nightmares, including:

•    Eating too close to bedtime
•    Seeing a scary movie or reading a frightening book
•    Stress or anxiety
•    Physical injury or another traumatic event
•    Illness or fever
•    Taking certain medications
•    Chronic drug or alcohol use

Most people will experience a single nightmare and then will not have to worry about it because they will sleep fine the next night. Treatment is usually sought in the occurrence of persistent nightmares. A doctor may recommend going through therapy to help you cope with the nightmares and help pinpoint the source of your stress, anxiety, or whatever else might be causing the bad dreams to occur. However, getting treatment for nightmares is rare. A doctor may recommend having a sleep study performed if the nightmares are excessively frequent.