Nightmare

A nightmare and nightmare or nightmare, outdated Nightmare (compare English nightmare ) or night damage is a dream, which is accompanied by negative emotions such as fear and panic in the dream. The dream may contain threatening, but also quite banal situations.

Nightmares are not organic sleep disorders and are among the parasomnias.

The nightmare is indistinguishable from night terrors.

Occurrence

In nighttime sleep rhythm nightmares occur predominantly during REM sleep, usually in the second half of the night. The duration varies from a few minutes to half an hour, and usually ends with starting up, after which you usually alertness is given consciously and spatial and temporal orientation immediately. The causes unprocessed daily events, traumatic or traumatic experiences, stress or mental health problems, but also physical components are adopted.

Hazards

Frequent nightmares ( several times a week ) put a strain on the body is reduced and the recovery during sleep.

Treatment

A method to influence especially nightmares regularly occurring positive can be lucid dreams. Here, the dreamer of his ( alb ) dreaming state is conscious and can then control the dream course. This process is also called " lucid dreaming ". However, the method proved to be difficult for people who previously could during sleep are not conscious that they are dreaming. The method therefore seems to be less suitable for this group.

Even nightmares are treated by confrontations with the nightmare content. The aim here is to imagine the nightmare during the day as detailed as possible to get used to the feelings experienced this. The method is considered as one of the most effective treatment of nightmares at all, but can be experienced as very stressful by those affected first.

Another method, which has proven in numerous scientific studies to be effective, the " Imagery rehearsal therapy" (IRT ). The goal here is to change the " nightmare scenario ". It is believed that the suffering caused by the frequent repetition of the individual nightmares. In the brain, therefore, grinds up a certain path, a certain script, which is then run through again and again. So someone can always dream of falling from somewhere in the depths. The more often the script is run, the lower the offense must be for a dream is experienced again. The aim of the IRT, it is now to change this nightmare scenario so that a boring possible dream arises, which is then no longer stressful. How could the person who keeps falling, grow wings. This new dream to practice now during the day, every day for about 15-20 min a. It was found that the IRT, compared with confrontation method, faster to alleviate the nightmare problem led

Etymology

Albums ( elves ) were in Germanic mythology responsible for dreams (see Nachtalb ). On it was assumed to be the bad dreams. In particular, it turned out visually the most albums in human-like figure on the breast of the sleeping man squatting before, what an unpleasant feeling of pressure triggered, hence the older term Alb- or nightmare. Alb is related to Elf, Elf.

The German term " nightshades " should come according to the tradition of the old word for nightmare "Night harm." Extracts from alkaloid-containing nightshades such as belladonna ( Atropa ), the black henbane ( Hyoscyamus niger), the Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara ) and the Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum ) were used in medieval times for medicinal and Zaubermixturen to the night of damage - so the nightly nightmares - to drive.

Spelling

The word derives from " Alb " from. In Old High German the two spellings " Alb " and " Alp " stand on equal footing. Although the Duden 1991 called both " Alb " and " nightmare ", but only " nightmare ". After the spelling reform are the new Duden also for the dream " nightmare " and " nightmare " of equal importance, however, there is recommended the newer spelling with a "b ". From the discussion here because of the sound devoicing both spellings same.