ABSTRACT
Nightmares are the body's way of expressing fear, and it may help for the patient to share the nightmare and 'externalise' that fear and seek appropriate reassurance and help. A nightmare is an unpleasant or frightening dream that occurs during rapid-eye movement sleep. The content of a dream or nightmare may be very significant. Nightmare can indicate fears or anxieties that the patient is unable to express while awake. Drugs may interfere with sleep patterns. Night terrors are common in children, but uncommon in adults. They occur at a different point of the sleep cycle from nightmares, and are accompanied by considerable autonomic and motor disturbance. Any of the following drugs may contribute to nightmares: alcohol, anticholinergic drugs, caffeine, hypnotics and tricyclic antidepressants.
