What it is
Recurring disturbing dreams during sleep that cause awakenings, distress, and sometimes avoidance of sleep, often linked to stress, anxiety, or trauma.
Research-supported
Nightmares
Recurring disturbing dreams during sleep that cause awakenings, distress, and sometimes avoidance of sleep, often linked to stress, anxiety, or trauma.
CategorySleep
Reviewed by Gyfts Editorial Team · Editorial Health Review
26 March 2026
At a glance
Nightmares at a glance
Commonly experienced as
- People describe being jolted awake by dreams of threat, danger, helplessness, or loss — sometimes identical in theme (recurring nightmares), sometimes varied but consistently upsetting. The emotional tone — terror, grief, shame — persists after waking, making return to sleep difficult. Many begin dreading sleep as a result. In PTSD-related nightmares, the content typically replays traumatic events, sometimes exactly and sometimes symbolically.
