We need sleep because it is the body’s way of recovering from all the exhaustion. Many people get quality sleep but there are others who are even terrified to fall asleep. For people who are terrified to fall asleep, they are suffering from chronic nightmare.

Chronic nightmare is different from having a bad dream. When we dream badly, we simply wake up from our sleep but there are people who wake in terror and continue to feel the terror throughout the next day. That is unhealthy and undesirable.

Chronic nightmare is common in adolescents and children but it may also strike during adulthood. The nightmares vary depending on content and themes but it mostly produces negative emotion like sadness, fear, anger and shame. This type of nightmare happens during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.

Chronic nightmare makes sound sleep almost impossible. It can set the stage for emotional problems like depression and anxiety. People who suffer chronic nightmares are triggered by posttraumatic stress disorders. It affects people who were exposed or witnessed violent assaults, natural disasters, combat, accidents and other terrible torments. If the person was not exposed or witnessed any terrible torments but still suffer from chronic nightmare, other reasons include alcohol abuse, sleep disorders, sleep apnoea and medications.

Now that we know things about chronic nightmare, it is time that we get the help that we need. There are many experts here in Singapore that we can come to for treatment or therapy. We should not ignore this as it may affect how we live our lives and it will also distress the people around us.