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Frequent nightmares triple the risk of premature mortality and accelerate organic aging. However, But don’t worry, accessible therapies may be enough to alleviate their effects!
The nightmares that wake you up with a start, with a beating heart, disturb your nights and threaten your life. Consequently, A study presented at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) 2025 by Dr. Therefore, Abidemi Otaiku of the UK Dementia Research Institute reveals a direct link between these frequent bad dreams and organic aging.
Same risk of death as smoking
Research is based on four major American cohorts bringing together 4. For example, 196 adults aged 26 to 74, followed for 18 years. Consequently, Participants reported the frequency of their nightmares at the start of the study.
Researchers have recorded 227 premature deathsdefined as occurring before the age of 75. For example, do you often do frequent Adults declaring weekly nightmares presented an Rpremature death isque almost three times higher to those who rarely made it.
This risk persists even after adjustment for factors such as age, sex, mental health or smoking. The researchers measured this phenomenon using three epigenetic clocks: Dunedinpace, Écimage and Phenoage.
These chemical markers on DNA reflect the biological age of a person, regardless of his chronological age. People prone to frequent nightmares seemed biologically older than their real age.
Approximately 39 % of the link between nightmares and premature mortality is explained by this acceleration of aging. Bad dreams are not just a symptom, but an active factor in cellular deterioration.
Why do frequent nightmares age faster?
The nightmares occur mainly during paradoxical sleep. A phase where the brain is active, but the body immobilized.
These episodes trigger an intense physiological response, releasing adrenaline and cortisol, Hormones associated with stress. do you often do frequent When the nightmares are frequent, this schronic bras treble persists during the day.
This causes inflammation, an increase in blood pressure and wear of the telomeres, the protective ends of the chromosomes.
In addition. abrupt awakening disturbs deep sleep, essential to cellular repair and the elimination of metabolic waste.
The study also reveals a link with neurodegenerative diseases. Frequent nightmares are associated with an increased risk of Dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
These pathologies also affect the prefrontal cortex and the amygdal. Thus, bad dreams could act as an alarm signal, revealing early brain dysfunctions.
About 5 % of adults make nightmares weekly, and 12.5 % monthly, making it a widespread problem deserving increased attention.
Solutions to break the do you often do frequent cycle
Frequent nightmares also have remedies. There Cognitivo-behavioral therapy for insomnia And image repetition therapy are effective.
Simple measurements. such as maintaining a fresh, dark and screenless room, can also reduce the frequency of bad dreams.
However, the study presents a shadow area. The data is based on subjective declarations, which can complicate the Distinction between nightmares and other sleep disturbances.
In addition, the sample, mainly made up of white Americans, limits the generalization of results. Finally, the biological age has only been measured once, making the impact of treatments uncertain on the slowdown in aging.
These reservations, however, do not lead the robustness of the conclusionssupported by longitudinal monitoring and objective data on deaths.
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