Scientists found a new way to get rid of Recurring nightmares

When you're imprisoned in a nightmare, sleeping may be as far from restful as you can imagine, especially if it comes back to haunt you night after night.

According to various studies, nightmare disorder, also known as dream anxiety disorder, affects around 4% of individuals.

It's far worse than the odd nightmares that most people have of falling, being nude in public, being followed, seeking a bathroom, and losing teeth.

Those who suffer from nightmare disorder have their evenings interrupted by vivid, 

terrifying dreams that overwhelm them with so much worry and anxiety that they cannot sleep or rest.

While this ailment is often treated with stress-reduction strategies such as yoga or meditation, and in more challenging situations, psychotherapy and even medication.

According to a study published in Current Biology on 27th October 2022,

Researchers found two different procedures to combat recurring nightmare disorder.

1. Image Rehearsal therapy (IRT): IRT, a cognitive treatment for decreasing nightmares, aims to get patients to switch their dreams' negative narratives with happier ones.

2. Targeted memory reactivation (TMR): TMR aims to strengthen memories as you sleep.

It's a technique where someone concentrates on learning something while hearing a particular sound, which is then played again as a trigger while they sleep.

Researchers initially instructed 36 people suffering from reoccurring nightmares during the study to participate in image rehearsal therapy, while half were asked to do TMR.

After two weeks of IRT, we discovered that the TMR group had fewer nightmares overall, more pleasant dream emotions, and a persistent reduction in nightmare frequency after three months.

These findings have therapeutic ramifications for the treatment of ND and are relevant to other mental diseases since they show that TMR during sleep can amplify therapy.

These results demonstrate that TMR used during REM sleep can modify dream emotions.

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