Health experts warn of concerns over sudden increase in nightmares
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As the world grapples with ongoing health concerns, a new warning has emerged regarding a common phenomenon that may signal underlying issues.
Nightmares, often dismissed as mere products of stress or anxiety, are now being recognised as potential indicators of more serious health conditions.
This revelation has prompted experts to urge vigilance and proactive measures among individuals experiencing frequent nocturnal disturbances.
Recent research suggested that an increase in nightmares and hallucinations could be early warning signs of autoimmune diseases, such as lupus.
This startling connection prompted a call for doctors to delve deeper into their patients' sleep disturbances, potentially finding a new method for early detection of disease flare-ups.
The collaborative study between University of Cambridge and King’s College London surveyed 676 individuals with lupus—a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues and organs— and 400 clinicians
Lupus triggers the immune system to attack the body's tissues and organs. Credit: ShutterstockDetailed interviews were also conducted with 69 people living with various chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorders, including lupus, as well as 50 clinicians.
The patients were asked about the timing and sequence of 29 neurological and mental health symptoms, such as depression, hallucinations, and loss of balance.
The findings revealed that nearly one in four people reported experiencing hallucinations, typically around or after the onset of their disease.
However, interviews revealed that three out of five individuals with lupus and one out of three with other rheumatology-related disorders experienced an increase in intense, troubling nightmares prior to hallucinations occurring.
'It’s important that clinicians talk to their patients about these types of symptoms and spend time writing down each patient’s individual progression of symptoms,' lead author Dr Melanie Sloan of the University of Cambridge said.
‘Patients often know which symptoms are a bad sign that their disease is about to flare, but both patients and doctors can be reluctant to discuss mental health and neurological symptoms particularly if they don’t realise these can be a part of autoimmune diseases.’
A patient depicted their nightmares as 'horrific, like scenes of violence, like seeing skin coming off people’.
They further explained that they believed these nightmares occurred when they were 'overwhelmed' and noted, 'the more stress my body is under, the more vivid and disturbing the dreams become’.
Professor David D’Cruz from King’s College London added, 'For many years I have discussed nightmares with my lupus patients and thought that there was a link with their disease activity.'
'This research provides evidence of this, and we are strongly encouraging more doctors to ask about nightmares and other neuropsychiatric symptoms — thought to be unusual, but actually very common in systemic autoimmunity — to help us detect disease flares earlier.'
The study, published in eClinicalMedicine, found that calling nightmares ‘daymares’ was better for patients. Some lupus patients were wrongly thought to have mental health issues.
A nurse informed researchers that she had observed patients being ‘admitted for an episode of psychosis’.
Another author of the study, Professor Guy Leschziner, a neurologist at Guys’ and St Thomas’ Hospital, also said, 'This is the first evidence that nightmares may also help us monitor such a serious autoimmune condition like lupusand is an important prompt to patients and clinicians alike that sleep symptoms may tell us about impending relapse.'
What are your thoughts about the study and its findings? Have you or someone you know experienced trouble with frequent nightmares? Share your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation.
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