How to turn nightmares into better dreams

Treatment by Perogamvros and his team may help people who suffer from chronic nightmares. MethodIt combines imagery rehearsal therapy, an established treatment, with sound.

“There are all indications that this would be particularly effective as a new treatment for nightmare disorder. These results also open new perspectives for the treatment of other disorders, such as insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder.” increase.”

Between 2-8% of people suffer from chronic, debilitating nightmares that disrupt sleep. American Society of Sleep MedicineNightmares are common among children, with most developing by age 10, but an estimated 50 to 85 percent of adults have nightmares from time to time, says the Academy.

“Nightmare disorders are a serious problem for some people, especially those with PTSD, but they also affect others,” says Timothy I., a sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic. Morgenthaler said. He did not participate in this study. “Occasional nightmares are unwelcome, but when they occur frequently, a person is haunted by the possibility of experiencing another nightmare, anticipating stressful images during sleep and sometimes sleeping to avoid another nightmare.” avoid… definitely their health.”

Subjects in this study experienced terrifying nightmares. Either he is injured or he is in great danger,” Perogamvros said.

Scientists have modeled their method. approach known as Target memory reactivationor TMR, uses specific learning-related triggers (usually odors) to enhance memory consolidation when reapplied during sleep.

Their triggers are sounds called “neutral” piano chords, image rehearsal therapy (conducted while the patient is awake), and rapid eye movement, the final stage of sleep where nightmares usually occur. REM) was added to sleep. .

image rehearsal therapy Established Spend a few minutes each day rehearsing a “rewritten” dream scenario in a cognitive-behavioral technique that seeks to turn the nightmare’s negative storyline into a more positive ending.

Patients recall specific nightmares that occur frequently and are asked to visualize them, recalling every detail they remember, Perogamvros explained.

“As an example, you can imagine a nightmare where a patient is being chased in the woods and cannot find a way out,” he said. “Colors, smells and emotions, as well as the context of the nightmare, may be explained by the patient. increase.”

The researcher then instructs the patient to alter the nightmare to another version with a happier outcome. “We let them imagine it for a few minutes before we verbally asked them what this new scenario was,” said Perogambros. The dreamer opens it and enters a safe and peaceful environment like a bedroom, after which the door is locked so that the hunters cannot reach her.”

This is a very effective treatment, but it doesn’t work for everyone. In hopes of increasing success rates, scientists theorized that adding piano chord tones to IRT enhanced positive daytime experiences and created pleasurable memories that subjects associate with the sounds. The goal was to increase the likelihood that patients would experience positive stories rather than nightmares when hearing the same sounds during REM sleep.

All 36 subjects underwent initial image rehearsal therapy in the laboratory. But in her first IRT lab session, only half heard the sound. That is, he formed only one group of positive connections with sound during treatment. They then received sound via wireless headbands while everyone was asleep at home, automatically detecting the onset of REM. All participants were also instructed to practice the IRT at home for 5 minutes each night. The device gave him a piano sound every 10 seconds.

Both groups had fewer nightmares, according to results published in Current Biology, but half of the group who heard the sounds during the IRT session in the lab had more nightmares for the next two weeks. Fewer and more “more positive dream feelings” were seen. Researchers reported a sustained reduction in nightmares for up to three months.

The study has some limitations, the researchers said, including the lack of a control group of nightmare patients who did not undergo IRT.

Rafael Pelayo, a sleep medicine expert at Stanford University who wasn’t involved in the study, called the study “promising,” adding that the researchers added a third arm that delivers sound during non-sleep periods. It could have been even more effective, he added. REM sleep is given to those who have made positive emotional connections. “It would have indicated whether the mechanism was ultimately specifically REM-mediated or involved NREM sleep, because NREM sleep may also play a role in memory consolidation.” This is because there is

Morgenthaler of the Mayo Clinic called the study a “promising new avenue,” adding: If replicated, this could represent an important new approach to treating nightmare disorders. ”