Your nightmares are scary — and putting you in an early grave: study

New York Post

16 hours ago

Scared to death? You betcha.
Anyone who's ever had a nightmare knows how much they can absolutely wreck your mood.
That's because, as neuroscientist Dr. Abidemi Otaiku pointed out: 'Our sleeping brains cannot distinguish dreams from reality.'
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4 A new study shows weekly nightmares can accelerate your biological aging to an alarming degree.
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In even more frightening news, Otaiku and his team analyzed the data of over 183,000 adults aged 26 to 86 and 2,400 children aged 8 to 10 and found that adults who suffer nightmares weekly are over three times more likely to die before hitting 70 than those who don't.
The researchers pointed out that this would make nightmares a stronger predictor of premature death than a poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle or smoking.
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Tell that to anyone who's ever said 'it was just a bad dream' to you.
'Nightmares often wake us up sweating, gasping for breath and with our hearts pounding — because our fight-or-flight response has been triggered,' Otaiku, a Clinical Research Fellow in the Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London, said in a press release.
4 Researchers found adults who suffer nightmares weekly are over three times more likely to die before hitting 70 than those who don't.
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'This stress reaction can be even more intense than anything we experience while awake.'
Researchers assessed the participants' biological aging by the length of their telomeres — the tiny caps at the ends of your chromosomes that shrink as you age and are tied to diseases like cancer, heart issues and other chronic conditions.
Those who experienced night frights regularly had shorter telomeres — showing signs of accelerated biological aging — and a whopping 40% increased chance of kicking the bucket too early.
The researchers posit that this may be due to the increased stress and sleep disturbances — both of which contribute to mortality — brought on by bad dreams.
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4 'Our sleeping brains cannot distinguish dreams from reality,' Otaiku said.
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'Nightmares lead to prolonged elevations of cortisol, a stress hormone closely linked to faster cellular aging. For those who frequently experience nightmares, this cumulative stress may significantly impact the aging process,' Otaiku, who recently presented his research at the at the European Academy of Neurology's (EAN) annual meeting.
'Additionally, nightmares disrupt both sleep quality and duration, impairing the body's essential overnight cellular restoration and repair. The combined effects of chronic stress and disrupted sleep likely contribute to the accelerated aging of our cells and bodies.'
Even monthly nightmares carried an increased risk of an early grave, although weekly ones seemed to be the real nail in the coffin.
4 Those who experienced night frights regularly had shorter telomeres — showing signs of accelerated biological aging — and a whopping 40% increased chance of kicking the bucket too early.
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The only silver lining is that nightmares apparently don't discriminate — as the same findings held when controlled for age, sex, ethnicity or general mental health.
The study points to the idea that nightmares aren't something that we as a society should be so quick to brush off.
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'Given how common and modifiable nightmares are, they should be taken far more seriously as a public health concern,' Otaiku said.
'The good news is that nightmares can be prevented and treated. Simple measures like avoiding scary movies, maintaining good sleep hygiene, managing stress and seeking treatment for anxiety or depression can be effective.'
In addition to his suggestions for staying scary-dream-free, experts recommend maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, journaling your worries away, avoiding stimulants like alcohol and caffeine and creating a relaxing bedtime routine.