What are the Possible Causes of Nightmares?

What Causes Nightmares?

Nightmares can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'very serious'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose nightmares, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "nightmares" as a symptom. Here are five possibilities:

Anxiety
Stress
Borderline Personality Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Liver Congestion

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

past ecstasy use

history of elevated liver enzymes

severe afternoon/evening fatigue

onion intolerance

excessive flatulence

history of panic attacks

frequent sleepwalking

pain medication use

frequent night terrors

cigarette smoke sensitivity

forgetting dreams

LSD use

... and more than 100 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of nightmares:

Cause	Probability	Status
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder	91%	Confirm
Borderline Personality Disorder	27%	Unlikely
Liver Congestion	2%	Ruled out
Stress	1%	Ruled out
Anxiety	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

In the Sleep-Related Symptoms section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about frequency of nightmares:

How often and severely do you experience bad dreams? A nightmare is more intense than a bad dream, waking you up and causing significant emotional distress.

Possible responses:

→ Never / don't know
→ Bad dreams under once a month / rarely nightmares
→ Monthly bad dreams / nightmares under once a month
→ Weekly bad dreams / monthly nightmares
→ Weekly/nightly/recurring nightmares

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate occasional bad dreams, occasional nightmares, regular nightmares or frequent nightmares, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Anxiety

Borderline Personality Disorder

Those with borderline personality disorder suffer more from nightmares than normal. This if often due to past childhood trauma, which is also a key factor in the development of this disorder.

Liver Detoxification / Support Requirement

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Nightmare disorder has been linked to PTSD. Those with PTSD may have intrusive mental images or hallucinations about a trauma, or recurrent nightmares, much more than the average person.

Stress

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™