The Nightmare Quiz

Answer: A female goblin

Nightmares were originally identified with the female demon or goblin that brought them. Some might maintain that a modern over confidence in psychiatry has replaced our earlier belief in the spirit world. Others would object such demonization of a scientific medical discipline.

Answer: Weekly

It would be unfair to say that having frequent nightmares has gone from meaning one is demonized to indicating that one is nuts... wouldn't it? What is undeniable is that those who experience frequent nightmares can become miserable enough to seek help and that nightmares are associated with other emotions difficulties.

Answer: True

E-Medicine's nightmare website (http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1609.htm) indicates that approximately 7% of nightmares are familial. Studies comparing nightmare frequency in identical and non-identical twins confirm that susceptibility has a genetic component. Twin studies also confirm the association with diagnosis of other psychiatric disorders.

Answer: All of them

Nightmares add to the burden of having PTSD, depression, schizophrenia, and delirium. At times what seems to be a nightmare may in fact be a seizure.

Answer: The person will "grow out of it".

Nightmare Disorder (DSM-IV-TR #307.47) typically begins in childhood or young adulthood and spontaneously remits. This disorder should be distinguished from nightmares occurring in association with other more complicated psychiatric disorders.

Answer: REM sleep

Dreams generally occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Generally the sleeper does not move or speak, although the exceptions to this rule may be quite memorable. On awakening, the sleeper usually can be calmed down and convinced that a dream has been experienced. Details are best recalled immediately after awakening.

Answer: They differ in all these ways.

Night terrors belong to a group of sleep disorders termed "parasomnias". Parasomnias tend to afflict children and include sleep walking and bed wetting. They typically occur in what is termed "slow-wave sleep", unlike nightmares which occur in REM sleep.

Answer: Both

A wide variety of medications may be associated with nightmares including stimulant medications, certain blood pressure medications, anti-parkinsonian drugs, antidepressants and sedatives. Even the medications most often used for treatment may instead cause increase in the frequency of bad dreams.

Answer: Warm baths

Tiredness, stress and exposure to frightening material are all well known to increase the probability of nightmare occurrence. Treatment of fever may also prevent nightmares in susceptible individuals. Repeating (rehearsing) bad dreams with others is also felt to be preventative.

Answer: No

Early childhood is the time at which we are most likely to experience nightmares. According to Rakel's "Textbook of Family Medicine" a monster search is most likely to increase a child's fears. Small children, according to the text, should also not be asked to rehearse the dream.

Unfortunately, most childhood nightmares occur late in the sleep cycle (4-6 am), and the typical parent is not at his/her best at that time of night. The Website http://www.sleepdisordersguide.com/nightmares.html suggests that parents comfort the child, leave the bedroom door open, talk about the bad dreams during the day, avoid frightening movies and shows, allow the child to have a security blanket and let the child sleep in their own bed.