Nightmares have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease

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A new study published in The European Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases, Psychological Disorders and Insomnia found that heart patients who experience difficulty sleeping or have weekly nightmares are prone to depression or anxiety.

In particular, the study says that psychological stress and insomnia are associated with the development and progression of heart disease. Disturbing dreams, in turn, may be a sign that patients need additional preventive measures.

“Our study shows a close relationship between depression, anxiety, insomnia and bad dreams in patients with heart disease.” said study author Takashi Kono from Keio University in Japan. At the same time, he added that the study was of an observational nature, due to which it was not possible to explain the cause-and-effect relationship.

However, according to the scientist, there is an obvious bidirectionality in this issue. “In other words, depression, anxiety and insomnia can cause nightmares, and nightmares can lead to depression, anxiety and insomnia,” Kono added.

It is noted that 1,233 patients hospitalized with various heart diseases at Keio University Hospital participated in the study. Their average age was 64 years, 25% of the subjects were women. According to the results of the study, they had unpleasant dreams more often than men.

It was also found that almost 15% of patients experienced at least one nightmare per month, and 3.6% saw one nightmare per week, defined as like frequent nightmares. About 45.9% of patients reported insomnia, 18.5% had depression, 16.9% had anxiety, and 28% had suffocation during sleep.

Frequent nightmares were not associated with cardiac medications and impairment breathing in sleep, but were associated with depression, anxiety and insomnia. In addition, patients with weekly bad dreams were five times more likely to suffer from depression, five times more likely to experience anxiety, and seven times more likely to suffer from insomnia.

“Prevalence of nightmares and frequent nightmares in the general population , reported by other groups, is similar to that in cardiac patients in our study,” the researchers said. They added that nightmares can be a warning of underlying psychological or sleep problems that need to be addressed to avoid new or worsening heart problems.