These are the people most likely to have nightmares, study finds

This discovery highlights the emotional and psychological consequences of lack of social connections. The study used two samples of adults in the United States. First, the information of 827 people was analyzed, which indicates that Loneliness, accompanied by stress, is a trigger for nightmares.

Then, 782 volunteers answered questions about feelings of isolation and stressrevealing that loneliness affects both the frequency and intensity of nightmares. Researchers suggest that the Loneliness causes “hypervigilance” which impairs sleep.

This state of an exaggerated alert, linked to the need for social support, activates reflectiontriggering stress that leads to disturbing dreams. According to Colin Hessen, co-author of the study, the lack of social connections can have physical, mental and social repercussions on the individual.

These results open up new possibilities for reduce nightmares in lonely peoplein addition to emphasizing the importance of interpersonal connections for mental health and sleep quality.