Latest news with #sleepDisruption
National Post
26-06-2025
- Health
- National Post
Why bad dreams could be aging and prematurely killing you
Nightmares can literally scare the life out of people, new research suggests. Article content Frequent unpleasant dreams and nightmares are being linked with accelerated biological aging and an untimely death. Article content According to a British team, people who experience weekly distressing dreams are three times more likely to die before they reach age 70 than people who rarely or never report experiencing nightmares. Article content Article content Article content Telomeres get shorter every time a cell divides, and shorter telomeres are considered a sign of accelerated aging of the body's cells. Cortisol is present at high levels during nightmares. Article content 'For those who frequently experience nightmares, this cumulative stress may significantly impact the aging process,' the study's lead author, Dr. Abidemi Otaiku, of the UK Dementia Research Institute and Imperial College London, said in a statement released this week. Article content What's more, nightmares mess with how well and how long people sleep, 'impairing the body's essential overnight cellular restoration and repair,' Otaiku said. 'The combined effects of chronic stress and disrupted sleep likely contribute to the accelerated aging of our cells and bodies.' Article content Article content Nightmares are common, Otaiku reported in earlier work linking nightmares with an i ncreased risk of dementia and cognitive decline in middle-aged adults. Article content Article content About five percent of adults experience nightmares weekly, and up to 40 percent monthly, percentages that are likely even higher if bad dreams are thrown in, he said. Considering how common a phenomenon nightmares are, 'it is surprising that their clinical significance remains largely unknown,' he wrote. Article content In the latest study, presented this week at the European Academy of Neurology Congress in Helsinki, Otaiku and colleagues analyzed pooled data from 2,429 children aged eight to 10, and 183,012 adults aged 26 to 86 from six cohort studies following large groups of people over time. Article content Adults reported how often they had nightmares at the start of the study, and were followed for up to 19 years. For kids, nightmare frequency was reported by parents. Article content According to a release, adults reporting weekly nightmares were three times as likely to die prematurely than people who rarely or never experienced distressing dreams. 'Children and adults with more frequent nightmares also exhibited faster biological aging, which accounted for approximately 40 percent of the heightened mortality risk' among adults, according to the release.
The Independent
24-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Research shows deadly impact of nightmares on your health
Frequent nightmares are linked to premature ageing and increase the risk of an early death, according to a new study. Adults who report weekly nightmares are more than three times likely to die before the age of 70 compared to those who rarely or never experience them, researchers found. The study found nightmares to be a 'stronger predictor of premature death' than smoking, obesity, poor diet, and low physical activity. The scientists warned the findings should be treated as a 'public health concern', but said people can reduce nightmares by managing stress. The team, led by Dr Abidemi Otaiku of the UK Dementia Research Institute, and Imperial College London, analysed data from 2,429 children aged eight to 10 and 183,012 adults aged 26 to 86 over a period of 19 years. The research, presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress this month, found that nightmares disrupt both sleep quality and duration, which impairs the body's overnight cellular restoration and repair ability. The combined impacts of chronic stress and disrupted sleep are likely to contribute to the accelerated ageing of our cells and bodies. Dr Otaiku said, 'Our sleeping brains cannot distinguish dreams from reality. That's why nightmares often wake us up sweating, gasping for breath, and with our hearts pounding – because our fight-or-flight response has been triggered. This stress reaction can be even more intense than anything we experience while awake.' He said: 'Nightmares lead to prolonged elevations of cortisol, a stress hormone closely linked to faster cellular ageing. For those who frequently experience nightmares, this cumulative stress may significantly impact the ageing process.' He added: 'Given how common and modifiable nightmares are, they should be taken far more seriously as a public health concern.' Researchers found that children and adults who had frequent nightmares also exhibited faster ageing. This accounted for approximately 40 per cent of those who had a higher risk of early death. Dr Otaiku said this was the first study to show nightmares can predict faster biological ageing and earlier mortality, even after accounting for other health issues. Even monthly nightmares were linked to faster ageing and increased mortality compared to those who had no nightmares. and the links were consistent across all ages, sexes, ethnicities, and mental health statuses. 'The good news is that nightmares can be prevented and treated,' said Dr Otaiku. Simple measures, such as maintaining good sleep hygiene, managing stress, seeking treatment for anxiety or depression and not watching scary films can be effective in reducing nightmares, he said.
