Most of us have had bad dreams before. Nightmares, however, can greatly disrupt the quality of sleep we receive, particularly when they happen frequently. So far we have yet to develop an explanation for why we have nightmares or dreams, but studies have shown that it is closely related to our memories and our daily lives.
Scientifically, nightmares are defined by intense, negative emotions during deep sleep, such as overwhelming fear, aggression, or sadness. When these intense episodes happen several times a week, however, it can be debilitating, causing a lack of sleep and affecting one’s day-to-day life. This is known as ND or Nightmare Disorder, a type of sleep disorder in which a person’s rest is frequently disrupted by nightmares. It’s also more prevalent than you may think as it affects about 4% of adults, according to some studies. ND can commonly occur in association with another physiological disorder, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, in which the nightmares will usually be related to some traumatic event. However, it can also occur irrespective of any events in a person’s life, in which case the nightmares will have a variety of topics and emotions associated with them. There has been some evidence that this cause of ND is common in people with an increased sympathetic drive.
Currently, the treatment options for frequent nightmares have not been effective across many different patients. The most common solution is known as image reversal therapy or IRT. It works by having an individual recall a nightmare, and then change the storyline toward a more positive ending. This new story is then rehearsed and repeated throughout the day with the goal of eliminating the nightmare during sleep. Although IRT is a standard treatment, it fails in nearly a third of all adults with ND.
In a new study by the University of Geneva, researchers tested new techniques for treating frequent nightmares, to be used in conjunction with IRT. One such method is known as TMR or targeted memory reactivation. In this technique, a person focuses on some idea while a sound plays. Then, during sleep, the same sound will play, triggering memory storage, and bringing up the same associated idea they had during the day.
The researchers tested both of these treatments together, using IRT to rehearse a positive nightmare ending during the day, and TMR to associate that rehearsed idea with a piano chord. Then, during sleep, the same piano chord would play once every 10 seconds. This allowed the participants of the study to recall the positive ending of their nightmare during sleep, by using a sound to trigger memory storage.
For participants of the study using both of these treatments together the average number of nightmares per week was significantly lowered, from 3 to 0.2. Image reversal therapy alone still lowered the average number of nightmares but was almost 5 times higher than the combined treatment. The researchers also note that even after 3 months of treatment, participants still had a significantly decreased number of nightmares.
The results of the study are promising, although the heads of the study admit that there is a long way to go before these methods are more widely available and that there is much more work to be done. They also point out that these methods may be very helpful for treating the disorders that accompany frequent nightmares, like PTSD, and for increasing our understanding of the brain overall.
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