In a basic sense, nightmares are just bad dreams. They can make you feel scared and extremely on edge but they are not real so there really is nothing to get so worked up over. They have the power to wake you up from your slumber because they are characterized by vivid imagery and intense feelings of guilt, sadness, anxiety, or fear. Young children experience scary or bad dreams substantially more often than adults do. This is because between the ages of three and eight is when you can see a lot of separation anxiety. Nightmares at this young age express the usual struggle to cope with issues and fears. They tend to involve a child being chased by wild animals. This stage of development is quite normal for young children and should be viewed as such. Your kid does not need to go to the doctor or a therapist because he/she is having nightmares.
Around fifty percent of adults have reported having the occasional nightmare and they tend to occur more often in women than in men. Because adults do not have the same type of separation anxiety as young children, there are other causes to these bad dreams. Certain illnesses, especially with a fever, and medications could be a cause of nightmares. The main reason for adult nightmares is the stress and anxiety in most of their lives. Big changes in your life or stressful events can easily lead to scary dreams. Dreams where you are being chased are the most common form of a nightmare. Drowning dreams, natural and man made disasters, and falling can also be the theme of a frightening dream. While kids are usually chased by wild animals, adults are more likely to be chased by a shadowy figure during a nightmare. Nightmares can cause for a very scary or exciting night of sleep, but usually if you can find the source of the dreams, you will stop having them.
I agree with Jacklyn. I always want to know what the meaning of my nightmare or dream is. I always assumed that nightmares were caused by stress, but now that I know why we have them I have a different view of dreams and nightmares.
Whenever I have a nightmare, I always wonder what it means. I’m the type of person to look up on Google the psychological meaning behind my nightmares. Like you said, anxiety and stress cause nightmares, which I thoroughly believe to be true. In times of stress, I find myself having nightmares more frequently than not. As a child, I remember having nightmares almost every night and running into my parents room because I couldn’t fall back asleep. Great post! I can relate!
I have always been interested in the reasons of why we dream and what are the meaning behind what we dream. I have always been more curious about nightmares and why we have them. I did not know that anxiety and stress were the most likely reasons for them. I also found it interesting that young children are more likely to have them. Very interesting blog post!