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It makes the autonomic nervous system overreact,” says Dr. It’s as if a person with cardiac problems is riding up a hill. Combine this overactive amygdala with poor cardiac health, and you are much more vulnerable to having a heart attack.
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“REM sleep is a stressor because it is stimulating your amygdala, the part of your brain responsible for emotions. So it’s not the nightmares that are causing physical stress but rather the REM sleep, which in turn causes the nightmares. When people awaken during REM sleep, they often describe bizarre and illogical tales.” “Heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and males develop penile erections. “When we switch into REM sleep, our breathing becomes more rapid, irregular, and shallow, our eyes jerk rapidly in various directions, and our limb muscles become temporarily paralyzed,” says the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Most heart attacks occur in the early morning when REM is occurring, because REM places stress on the body. The occurrence of spasmodic chest pain was further increased after menopause. That same study also found that the occurrence of chest pain and irregular heart beats increased in 40- to 64-year-old women with frequent nightmares and poor sleep.
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“If you disrupt REM sleep, whether through respiratory problems, intense hormonal changes or stress, that emotional content just sits there and irritates the brain. This means your brain uses dreams to make sense of what you experience every day. “You need REM sleep to integrate current emotional material into long-term memory,” explains Patrick McNamara, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, Boston University School of Medicine. What causes nightmares?Īll dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is essential to mental health. Nightmares are often the result of normal things like garden-variety stress - but they could be a signal of a physical health issue. If you’re experiencing chronic, intense nightmares, then it might be time to see a doctor.
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The trouble sleeping is one thing, but over time you might actually begin fearing the act of just falling asleep. Having nightmares night after night is terrible.