Nightmares, terror of many

We have all dreamed of zombies, monsters, chimeras, witches, accidents or unpleasant events, which we have felt so real that they wake us up full of anguish. Fortunately, this kind of dreams It does not happen every day.

However, if these types of dreams are recurrent and disrupt life, it is necessary to evaluate a team of medical specialists in the neurophysiology of the dream .

In the Clinic of Sleep Disorders of the Faculty of Medicine of the UNAM , located in the General Hospital of the Ministry of Health, in the Federal District, this evaluation can be carried out.

This test consists of monitoring the patient while he sleeps; not before having placed sensors on the head, eyes, heart and other parts of the body during this type of dream s.

Reyes Haro Valencia, director of the Clinic He explained that these sensors allow neurophysiologists to record the functioning of the brain, eye movements, changes in muscle tone, temperature, heart rate and breathing of the sleeper.

Nightmares occur in phase four of the dream , that where rapid eye movements are recorded (MOR phase) and where we are completely relaxed. Hence, in the moment of a terrible dream we are unable to free ourselves from the situation, said Dr. Reyes Haro.

In that stage of dream , the heart beats faster and the breathing is more agitated. It is also known as "paradoxical sleep", because despite being the deepest phase of sleep, the brain, heart and lungs are very active.

According to the scientists, during a nightmare the areas of the brain that control it are activated and those that react when we are awake, that is why we experience the sensation of having lived the scene. In a dream normal, both brain structures do not work at the same time.

One way to treat those who suffer from these types of dreams, anxious, is through drugs that reduce the intensity of the stage where they occur.

The importance of going to a medical evaluation is that many times nightmares are the manifestation of neurological diseases, such as temporal lobe epilepsy. This type of epilepsy is expressed only while the person is asleep, either with abnormal movements or with dreams that cause distress.

Snoring can also produce dreams of anxious content, since when someone snores, stops breathing and in the absence of oxygen, the brain reacts so that the body moves and breathing continues.

The dream It must be carried out during four stages. When one is altered, the character and perception of reality is modified. Therefore, if you have any Sleep disorder it is necessary to go with a specialist.

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