Weekly nightmares are linked to accelerated biological aging and a threefold rise in early death risk, according to an Imperial College London study of over 183,000 adults. People who had weekly nightmares were over three times more likely to die before age 70 than those who rarely or never had them. Even monthly nightmares showed elevated risk. Stress from nightmares disrupts sleep, raises cortisol, and impairs cellular repair. The study results were presented on June 23 at the European Academy of Neurology Congress 2025 in Helsinki, Finland, and researchers are urging better stress management, sleep hygiene, and therapies to reduce nightmares and their health impact.
Have you ever had terrifying dreams and woken up in the middle of the night with cold sweats, trying to make sense of what happened? Why do we have so many nightmares? Is it possible to get rid of them? We have the answers, so click through the gallery and reveal them.