Draft #2 Of Research Paper

                                                                   Dark Dreams

            Should you start taking constant nightmares seriously? According to a study by       Patient Information Publications/Egton Medical Information Systems Ltd, “ Up to 50% of children aged 3-6 years experience sleep-disturbing dreams, and between 2%-8% of adults also complain about recurring nightmares” (Gertz). Nightmare disorder, also known as Dream Anxiety Disorder, is a terrifying condition described as the occurrence of repeated dreams during which the sleeper feels threatened and terrified. Nightmares are a common phenomenon experienced by nearly everyone. Those who experience constant nightmares and night terrors may also carry underlying psychological and neurological disorders. Although they might not be given much thought or consideration, they are a prominent factor in the life of others, so the medical insurance and research fundings should increase.

            Nightmares are vivid, detailed dreams that cause worry or fear, often exposing the dreamer to experiences of horrifying visual and emotional turbulence.  This disorder could affect any person, but rather tends to have a greater effect on children. It also holds the possibility of impacting individuals emotionally as well as physically, by often reiterating fears or traumas that person has experienced. Nightmare Disorder also known as dream anxiety disorder, is a terrifying disorder

caused by someone experiencing recurrent dreams which constantly evoke emotions of fear, anger, sadness or disgust. This nightmares often present the individual in a situation that jeopardizes their life or their personal safety. Nightmares usually take place during someone's Rapid Eye Movement (REM)  stage of sleep which is 70 to 90 minutes after falling asleep which is when dreams happen. Dreaming takes a lot of energy, your eyes move fast and your heart rate and blood pressure increases. The body goes into a different deep rest after any dream along the night. The body goes through six cycles of sleep at night and the REM gets longer with each cycle, sweating and other different symptoms of anxiety are shown. During a nightmare the individual may moan talk or move slightly. The person will most of the times wake up with the sense of fear. Nightmares are often complex and long lasting. Is hard for the person to fall asleep after a nightmare. The individual will usually have a good reminiscence of what the dream was about, what happened and what  was so horrifying towards them. Nightmare disorder could be specified by duration. A nightmare can be very disturbing and it can lead  you to very  uncomfortable situations, after you wake up you can feel unsafe or even scared of falling back asleep.

 Dream Anxiety Disorder significantly correlates with higher rates of childhood trauma history and poor sleep quality. Different factors can be causing individuals to experience terrifying and perturbing dreams. According to Semiz, Umit B., et al. from the GATA Haydarpasa Training Hospital “Nightmares and sleep problems are frequently encountered in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder BPD” (1). Borderline Personality Disorder is a serious disorder which according to the National Institute of Mental Health is marked by a pattern of ongoing instability in moods, behavior, self-image, and functioning. Different factors can be causing patients to have these horrifying and perturbing dreams. Neurological disorders can contribute to an individual becoming a victim and experiencing symptoms of Nightmare Disorder. In this article the researchers also state that, “Adults as well as children with a history of early trauma frequently report persistent disruptions in sleep” (1). These past events of trauma can lead to posttraumatic nightmares which are more intense, vivid dreams that hold actual traumatic scenes from a past event, dramatized by the imagination as it could contain scenes of death or violence.