You can’t breathe, and your heart races. You suddenly open your eyes and gasp for breath in the darkness of your bedroom. Sound familiar? Nightmares are more than just an unpleasant way to wake up. They can be a sign that you suffer from sleep apnea, a sleep disorder linked to serious health problems like heart attacks and strokes. Keep reading to learn more about how sleep apnea affects dreams and how your dentist can help you achieve a peaceful night’s rest.
Why Does Sleep Apnea Affect Your Dreams?
When you fall asleep at night your mind and body go through four stages of sleep. Dreams typically occur during the fourth stage, known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. The average person enters REM sleep within 90 minutes of falling asleep and again several times while resting. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is the most common form of sleep apnea, occurs predominantly during REM.
How Does Sleep Apnea Contribute to Nightmares?
Sleep apnea can significantly impact both the frequency and type of dreams a person experiences. Indeed, one recent study found that only 43% of sleep apnea patients remembered their dreams, compared with over 70% of people without sleep apnea.
However, although you may dream less often if you have sleep apnea, the dreams you do remember may not be pleasant. Research published in the medical journal Frontiers in Neurology found that sleep apnea patients have increased dreams with emotional content, including violent and hostile content. One reason may be that the breathing interruptions caused by sleep apnea, and the struggle to regain breathing, may be incorporated into that person’s dream.
Frequent nightmares can lead to lead to stress and insomnia and negatively affect your daily quality of life, according to Professor Michael Nadorff, director of the Sleep, Suicide and Aging Laboratory at Mississippi State University.
How to Improve Your Dreams
There are two common ways to treat sleep apnea:
- CPAP therapy – A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine pumps air through a facemask worn at night. While CPAP machines are effective at maintaining airflow, many patients find sleeping with the mask to be uncomfortable.
- Oral appliance therapy – A small custom-made mouthpiece, usually provided by a sleep dentist, that repositions the jaw to prevent a person’s airway from becoming blocked. Consistently wearing a custom oral appliance at night can be a highly effective (and comfortable) method for overcoming sleep apnea.
Do you want to return to restful nights filled with sweet dreams? Schedule a sleep assessment with your dentist today to determine if you could benefit from sleep apnea treatment.
About the Author
Dr. Dean Hutto has over 25 years of experience helping Baytown area residents avoid sleep apnea-induced nightmares. An active member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, he offers several different types of high-quality oral appliances at his private practice. To learn more about how sleep apnea affects dreaming, visit the Sleep Better Baytown website or call 281-422-8249.