Do frequent bad dreams have a negative impact on your health? Michael Lund, writing for the Courier Mail, reports today that recent studies suggest a link between frequent nightmares and insomnia, fatigue, depression and anxiety.
Research in China suggests that 5.1% of people have frequent nightmares, defined as at least one a week, while other studies link the frequency of nightmares to income.
What are my thoughts about this research? I’m quoted in the article, so have a look: (2015: Link no longer available on the internet.)
The article also quotes Dr Michael Schredl, of Germany’s Central Institute of Mental Health’s sleep laboratory in Mannheim, who said “The high correlation between nightmare frequency and sleep-related daytime consequences underlines the fact that nightmares might have a strong effect on the wellbeing of the patient, and should be treated.”
I totally agree. And that treatment ideally would include professional interpretation of the nightmares and getting sufferers to apply dream alchemy techniques (specific to their dreams and situations) to address the issues the nightmares reflect. The result? The issues are addressed, the nightmares stop, the people begin to sleep properly again, and health and wellbeing returns.
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