8 types of nightmares you should know now

You know that feeling of waking up suddenly, sweating, and looking terrified! Nightmares are stressful and can invoke fear and anxiety in the dreamer, causing problems in their waking lives. While some nightmares need no much interpretation, others should be taken seriously to understand what they mean. Previously, we discussed the symptoms and causes of nightmares, and we are now going to discover more about the different types of nightmares.

READ ALSO: Symptoms and causes of nightmares

Nightmares are common in children and teenagers, even though adults experience them occasionally. Knowing each type of nightmare will help you interpret them anytime they occur. Shockingly, some types of nightmares have crossed over to be sleep disorders.

8 types of nightmares you need to know now

There are 8 types of nightmares that many individuals do experience everyday. These include;

1. Recurring nightmares

As their name suggests, these nightmares recur in a person a night after another. You may dream about the same danger almost every night while seeing the same people being involved in similar activities with some small differences. The dreams can cause fear and anxiety, depriving you of healthy sleep.

*A woman in fear because of a recurring nightmare*

Recurring nightmares symbolize some stress or psychological struggle that you have not entirely resolved. Therefore, it is good to visit a counselor to help you interpret them and give a favorable solution towards managing them.

2. Single occurrence nightmares

As their names suggest, single occurrence nightmares occasionally occur once or twice a month, in three months, or a year. They can cause fear, anxiety, and sadness to a dreamer.

However, according to some experts, having nightmares occasionally is healthy. This is because they allow you to process a stressful but non-traumatic event that might have happened during the day.

3. Frequent nightmares

Do you experience dreams almost all the time? Frequent nightmares occur due to psychological or physical problems. Experts indicate that these nightmares can lead to health complications since they happen now and again. If you experience these dreams often, plan to visit a psychologist or psychiatrist to help you realize the reason behind them.

4. PSTD nightmares

These nightmares occur because of post-traumatic stress disorder. The dreamers usually experience traumatic event images that scare, troubling them not to wake up. They may as well cause waking nightmares that can affect the dreamers’ daytime behaviors.

Therefore, people having these types of dreams should seek a psychologist or psychiatrist’s advice immediately.

5. Sleepwalking nightmares

These are the types of nightmares occurring during the deep non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) stage. They usually appear early in the night or early in the morning and are common in children between 5 to 12 years. Mostly, sleepwalking nightmares tend to run in families.

*A woman having a sleepwalking nightmare*

People experiencing them may suddenly wake up and start moving around but are asleep in the real sense. This parasomnia may be dangerous as one may walk and fall, hurting himself/herself.

6. Sleep talking nightmares

This parasomnia involves a person producing brief sounds or talking during their sleep. They may result from emotional stress, fever, or other sleep disorders.

Sleep talking nightmares are harmless, although the noise produced can disturb bedmates and roommates. People experiencing them cannot be able to remember the mares the next morning.

7. Night terrors

Also called sleep terrors, night terrors usually occur during deep sleep. They are common in children aging between 3 to 8 years, even though a few adults also experience them due to genetic factors, emotional stress, or excessive alcohol use.

Night terrors may cause people to wake up suddenly, looking confused, terrified, and unable to communicate or respond to any voices. The dream can last for about 15 minutes before one gets back to sleep and is unlikely to remember it the next morning.

8. Sleep paralysis

These are waking nightmares that happen before falling asleep or waking up. They may occur partially or frequently. Most people experiencing these dreams have them running in their families. According to experts, sleep paralysis is not a nightmare but rather a hallucination that results from lying on your back.

During these episodes, a dreamer may see, feel, or hear but unable to move. The episode can last for a few minutes before one can move again. Besides, a single touch or sound may as well break the episode after a few minutes, allowing you to move.

The above are the different types of nightmares that you have been intending to know. Moreover, knowing what causes your nightmares may help you avoid having them from time to time.

READ ALSO: