'Nightmare disorder', or 'dream anxiety disorder', is a [sleep] disorder characterized by frequent [nightmares]. The nightmares, which often portray the individual in a situation that jeopardizes their life or personal safety, usually occur during the second half of the sleeping process, called the [REM stage]. Though such nightmares occur within many people, those with nightmare disorder experience them with a greater frequency. The disorder's [DSM-IV] number is 307.47.

Symptoms

During the nightmare, the sleeper may moan and move slightly. The victim is often awakened by these threatening and frightening dreams and can often vividly remember their experience. Upon awakening, the sleeper is unusually alert and oriented within their surroundings, but may have an increased heart rate and symptoms of anxiety, like sweating. They may have trouble falling back to sleep for fear they will experience another nightmare.

A person experiencing nightmare disorder would have trouble going through everyday tasks; the lack of sleep and anxiety caused by the fearful dreams would hinder the individual from completing everyday jobs efficiently and correctly.
Causes =
Nightmares can be caused by extreme stress

Stress (biology)

Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...

 or anxiety

Anxiety

Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...

 if no other mental disorder is discovered. The death of a loved one or a stressful life event can be enough to cause a nightmare but mental conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...

 and other psychiatric disorders have been known to cause nightmares as well.

If the individual is on medication, the nightmares may be attributed to some side effects of the drug. [Amphetamine]s, [antidepressants], and [stimulants] like [cocaine] can cause nightmares. Blood pressure medication, levodopa and medications for [Parkinson's disease] have also been known to cause nightmares{Citation needed|date=July 2008} as well as SSRIs like [Prozac] and [Effexor].
Demographic =
Children are more apt to experience nightmares than teenagers and adults.{Citation needed|date=July 2008} Young children normally have nightmares once or twice a week and will usually not develop a nightmare disorder unless they are under severe psychological stress.{Citation needed|date=July 2008} Children who have persistent nightmares range from 10% to 50%. A child would usually not be diagnosed with nightmare disorder however, since children normally experience many nightmares when they are young.

Students normally experience 4 to 8 nightmares a year and adults only have nightmares once or twice a year.{Citation needed|date=July 2008} About 3% of young adults report having recurring nightmares and 1% of adults recount having nightmares once or twice a week. {Citation needed|date=July 2008} If a student or adult is suffering from excessive nightmares, or has a recurring nightmare they may want to seek help as this may be a symptom of a more serious condition.
Treatment =
There are many ways to treat dream anxiety without seeking the help of a therapist. Alleviating stress within the home and personal life is a good way to eliminate any anxiety the individual may have upon going to bed. A regular fitness routine and perhaps relaxation therapy would help to make the individual fall asleep faster and more peacefully. [Yoga] and [meditation] can also help to eliminate stress and create a more peaceful sleeping atmosphere. [Psychotherapy] can also help an individual learn how to cope and deal with the various stressors in their life.

Diagnosis and medication can only be given to patients that report the recurring nightmares to a psychiatrist or other physician. Therapy usually helps to deal with the frightening themes of the nightmares and alleviate the recurrence of the dreams. The persistent nightmares will usually improve as the patient gets older. Treatments are generally very successful.

Recent Research on Nightmare Disorder

• Dissociative Disorders
  Dissociative disorders
  Dissociative disorders are defined as conditions that involve disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, identity and/or perception. See also dissociation. People with dissociative disorders are able to escape from reality involuntarily...
  
   are usually paired with Nightmare Disorder 57% of the time. Nightmare disorder is believed to be associated with Dissociative Disorders as a defense mechanism that is used to escape from the traumatic event that caused the Dissociative Disorder. People with Dissociative Disorder and Nightmare disorder are more likely to self-mutilate, attempt suicide, and have Borderline Personality Disorder
  Borderline personality disorder
  Borderline personality disorder is a personality disorder described as a prolonged disturbance of personality function in a person , characterized by depth and variability of moods.The disorder typically involves unusual levels of instability in mood; black and white thinking, or splitting; the...
  
  .

• Borderline Personality Disorder with Nightmare Disorder is very common, since the stages of sleep vary from that of a normal person (i.e. increased stage one sleep, and less stage four sleep). People with Borderline Personality disorder and Nightmare Disorder are usually the severest of those who have Borderline Personality Disorder; therefore, treating those with Nightmare Disorder may also help some with Borderline Personality Disorder.

• Hypnosis
  Hypnosis
  Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
  
   seems to be a new and effective treatment for those with Nightmare Disorder, since it increases relaxation.

• Nightmare disorder is also associated with those who have lower cholesterol. This connection is unclear; however, cholesterol may affect other hormones in the body (such as serotonin
  Serotonin
  Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
  
  ) which may affect one’s sleep.

External links

• Psychology Today article on Nightmare disorder