What stages of sleep would you most likely find nightmares and why?
540026
DREAMS\n\nAll of us have experienced "dreams". Sometimes they are good other times they are bad (nightmares), while in still others they are just confusing. I have seen many dreams, and actually do not remember most of them. They seem very real, yet you just forget it really quickly. So exactly what are dreams?\n\nWe typically spend 2 hours a night dreaming and in 85 to 90% of REM awakenings a dream is reported (5). The REM stage has always been considered the most intriguing, not only because of its unique features in relation to the other stages, but because of its strong correlation to dreams. It has been experimented that most people who claim to see dreams are awakened from REM (2). REM sleep begins with the pons sending signals to the thalamus, which then goes on to the cerebral cortex. Signals from the pons that shut down neurons in the spinal chord is seen as the source of the limb muscle paralysis. REM's relation with the cerebral cortex is seen as the source of dreams. Some scientists say that dreams are the cortex's attempt to find meaning in the random signals it receives during REM sleep (1). \n\nAlthough it is not fully proven, it is possible to see why the pons sends signals to shut down the limb muscles. In recent years it has been discovered that the paralysis prevents us from harming ourselves by acting out our dreams. There are people with a REM sleep behavioral disorder who act out their dreams and risk hurting themselves and others (6). The opposite of this form of REM sleep behavioral disorder is kanashibari (sleep paralysis) when we our conscious but are unable to move our bodies (2).
38935
WebMD provides a good explaination of this phenomena:\n\n"A person experiencing a night terror or sleep terror abruptly awakes from sleep in a terrified state. The person may appear to be awake, but is confused and unable to communicate. They do not respond to voices and are difficult to fully awaken. Night terrors last about 15 minutes, after which time the person usually lies down and appears to fall back asleep. People who have sleep terrors usually don't remember the events the next morning. Night terrors are similar to nightmares, but night terrors usually occur during deep sleep.\n\nPeople experiencing sleep terrors may pose dangers to themselves or others because of limb movements. Night terrors are fairly common in children occurring in approximately 5% of them mostly between the ages of three to five. Children with sleep terrors will often also talk in their sleep or sleepwalk. This sleep disorder, which may run in families, also can occur in adults. Strong emotional tension and/or the use of alcohol can increase the incidence of night terrors among adults."
84114
I do. Of course, I have narcolepsy. My worst symptom is hypnagogic hallucinations. In a nutshell, I go into REM sleep too fast...before my body gets a chance to shut down. As a result, although I am dreaming my eyes are open and I see my bedroom. It freaks out everyone I know. They don't even know I'm asleep until I start screaming for help getting the bunnies back in the closet. \n\nhttp://neurology.health-cares.net/hypnagogic-hallucination.php
542831
Dreams are the subconscious minds' method of acting out possible scenarios in our own lives. There have been experiments into sleep deprivation...dreaming occurs during the REM (rapid-eye-movement) cycle and at this point the body is paralysed, all apart from breathing equipment and the eyes. This is to stop the body physically acting out its dreams. Nightmares occur when the dreams basically overlap into the non-REM cycle (non-rapid-eye-movement), it is at this point that people sleep walk or talk.\nDuring these experiments, participants were woken as soon as they fell into REM sleep (dream sleep), this stopped them from having dreams. Participants reported that they felt as if they had had no sleep, they eventually started having hallucinations...the body was having dreams during the period that they were awake, they overlapped into the conscious mind, such was the physical need to have dreams.\nNo-one actually knows why people (and animals) have dreams, but researchers have acknowledged their significance in human evolution.
699010
you have to go into rem sleep rapid eye movment sleep to maintain healthy brain activity  with out rem our brains cannot partially shut down which is absolutly nessicary can i stress that for sanity   not getting rem can cause halloucinations and dementia . i am told that any reocurring dream is often a sign of lack of closure / unfinished buisness your friend can program her self to think and reflect on positve things well before bed. when did they start why    is there repressed trauma she should seek counseling soon never mind the drugs a light dinner as opposed to a heavy one should help as well
401581
I would have to say no. I used to have nightmares alot when I was little and now I have to sleep with some sort of light on, TV, nightlight, lamp, something or they will reoccur.
214812
Freud interpreted dreams as being symbolic manifestations of subconscious desires which were too dangerous to face up to in their real form.\nHowever, these days, most psychologists are more likely to believe that dreams are either random triggerings of old memories, thoughts, and perceptions; or somehow the brain's way of sorting out the important stuff from the rubbish.\nThere is no 100% accepted theory of why we dream, but in general, the idea of "dream interpretation" is mostly disregarded these days.
768924
Imagine being burned at the stake in front of a baying mob. Every worst nightmare you have ever had about dying has happened to someone.\nWhat if no one actually dies peacefully in their sleep, but is the victim of a nightmare so bad it kills them.\nI think its extended violence that I would want to avoid. Instant painless death in a car crash is possible. I would hate to die of my injuries 3 days later after suffering.
103180
Nightmares are normal especially if you are experiencing alot of stress. When you awaken if possible, try to right it down, keep a pen and paper close to bed, it's amazing how quickly the dream itself can disappear, though maybe not the feeling. Try to look at it the next day, remember they are symbols, not real. \n Why cry unless you woke crying, why scream, unless you woke up screaming, I have never known anyone who could faint on call from a dream. \n First and foremost DO NOT stress about the dream, you may have had a bad day and it just came out in your dream
567834
Nobody knows for sure, but they are essential. After several days of dream deprivation a person will exhibit severe mental and emotional reactions. Much research has been done on the subject, much of it at the Stanford University Center for Human Sleep Research. You can find more info at their website.
701476
Depends, but there's a stage of 1/2 asleep where if I get woken from, I get this shaky, pulsating surging feeling that I sometimes can't shake for hours!
126551
In my nightmares I'm always missing a train or a plane to reach some important place.\nAnother one is not remembering where I parked my car.
774375
no. dreams are part of your subconscious. if you are worried, you will have disturbed dreams. try to regulate your life and relax. good luck
87532
Well, you will start to dream as you fall asleep. Your brain will simply start to "shift gears" as it were. But if these things happened in the middle of the day, when you were NOT in bed... then it would be cause for concern.\n\nTo help sleep better.. you should do the following:\n\n1. Drink more water.\n2. Exercise 30 minutes a day.\n3. Get "enough" sleep when you do sleep.\n4. Don't drink caffiene after 6:00pm.
59882
Your worst nightmare.
53216
Sometimes, dreams and nightmares, as I've read in a fairly recent Reader's Digest, is our mind's way of preparing for something. We run the situation in our head, and we try and see what to make of it. For instance, if you've been thinking of that job promotion, you might have a good dream if you're totally up to it, and you'll be rolling in the dough at home, and so on. If you're not too confident, then you might get a nightmare about all of the things that go wrong. In a sense, we use those thoughts that invade our minds as we sleep as a form of preparation. A dream is a desire that we want, a nightmare is the worst case scenario. In either case, we can learn from them - learn what we want, learn what we fear, and learn how to make what we want happen.
453533
No. When you're really sleeping, your brain activity changes. These changes can be detected on an EKG, so they're for real. REM, or Rapid Eye Movement, is a very important stage of sleep (when you dream you're in REM sleep). Studies have shown that without it people have difficulties learning and functioning mentally throughout the next day.