Nightmares: Prevalence, Age and Gender Differences among Kuwaiti Children and Adolescents

N are described as frightening dreams that usually awaken the sleeper from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. It is almost always a long, complicated dream that becomes increasingly frightening toward the end. The long, dreamlike feature is essential in making the clinical differentiation from sleep terror. The element of fright or anxiety is an essential part of the nightmare (1, p. 163). Nightmares usually last approximately 415 minutes (2). They usually terminate with an awakening that is associated with a rapid return of full alertness, a lingering sense of fear or anxiety, and vivid recall of the dream context. These factors often lead to sleep disruption and difficulty returning to sleep (3, p. 580, 4). Most nightmares involve potential physical harm to the child or Nightmares: Prevalence, Age and Gender Differences among Kuwaiti Children and Adolescents