New research shows a path to relief from frequent nightmares

Everyone fell asleep and found themselves in a nightmare. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night to terrifying images that made my heart race and my palms sweat. But for some people, this unpleasant scenario happens all too often. Recent research A study conducted by neuroscientists at the University of Geneva promises relief from frequent nightmares.

Over 10 million people suffer from nightmare disorder

according to American Society of Sleep Medicine, 4% of adults (over 10 million) suffer from nightmare disorder. This disorder is characterized by nightmares that are so frequent and unrelenting that they greatly reduce the quality of sleep, impair function in the moment of waking, cause behavioral problems, and lead to psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. Diagnosed when it gets worse.

Timothy I. Morgenthaler, sleep medicine therapist at the Mayo Clinic, explained: Washington Post “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.”

Research Finds Hope for Relief from Nightmares

The standard treatment for nightmare disorder is imagery rehearsal therapy. IRT. With IRT, the patient attempts to rewrite a harrowing dream story by giving it a happy ending. Then, for a few minutes throughout the day, the patient “rehearses” a happier scenario. IRT is a technique proven to reduce the number and severity of nightmares. Smithsonian Magazine.

Lampros Perogamvros, a psychiatrist at the Institute for Sleep Research at Geneva University Hospital, who was involved in the study, explains: Washington Post“As an example, one can imagine a nightmare in which the patient is hunted by someone in the woods and cannot find a way out. For example, the dreamer is walking in a forest with his family and suddenly there is no one, creating a tense atmosphere.”

“I’ll give you a few minutes to imagine what this new scenario is before you verbally ask,” said Perogamvros. Said“Continuing our example, a door appears during a human hunt. , the door will be locked.”

A study conducted by Perogamvros and other neuroscientists, published in the journal Current Biology, adds questions to IRT. To increase the effectiveness of the treatment, the team combined it with a method called targeted memory reactivation. With TMR, people learn to associate cues such as noises and smells with learning procedures and reapply them during sleep to enhance memory. Smithsonian Magazine.

The triggers chosen for the study were piano chords. The team trained his IRT on 36 of his people with nightmare disorder. Smithsonian MagazineEighteen heard piano chords while reenacting the nightmare. The other 18 people in the control group heard no additional sounds while doing the same. The activity tracker monitors the wearer’s sleep stages and emits sounds through bone conduction. Piano chord triggers were delivered every 10 seconds as participants entered the dream phase of sleep.

What were the results of your research?

The results of the study were encouraging.all participants report According to Nightmare Reduction CNNThe reduction was particularly pronounced in those who practiced TMR, from an average of 3 nightmares per week to 0.2. Those who practiced image rehearsal therapy alone reported an average of one nightmare per week. average rose to 1.5.

More research is needed to validate the study and extend the concept, but Morgenthaler, who was not involved in the study, sees it as a “promising new avenue”. Washington Post“Researchers used clever design to investigate the effects of adding sound during REM sleep to enhance the desired emotional effects of alternate dreams. It could be an important new approach to the treatment of

Perogamvros hope The results of this study open up the possibility of treating insomnia, along with the anxiety and flashbacks associated with post-traumatic stress disorder.