Nightmares reveal HEALTH warning signs
By: Team Ifairer | Posted: 01-04-2014
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Study author Dr Jennie Parker, a psychologist at the University of the West of England, said the nightmares were linked to temperature changes that occurred at certain times in a woman's cycle. The increase in the hormone progesterone, which women experience before a period, causes their body temperature to rise and has been linked to PMS-related insomnia.
This can cause night sweats and hot flushes, as well as vivid dreams and nightmares. 'Premenstrual women tend to dream more aggressively and are more likely to remember dreams,' adds Dr Parker.Not getting enough shut-eye in the week could explain nightmares during your weekend lie-in.
'People who don't sleep enough tend to miss out on REM sleep,' says Dr Oscroft. REM sleep occurs around 90 minutes after we fall asleep, at the end of each sleep cycle; we experience on average four cycles of sleep. As each period of REM sleep gets longer through the night, we get more in the latter part. If you're sleep deprived, even by one or two hours a night for a week, when you finally do sleep, you experience REM rebound, getting more dreaming sleep.