Therapy may help people who suffer from chronic nightmares learn how to turn bad dreams into good ones. But some experts wonder if changing your nightmares robs the waking mind of crucial information. (Source: NYT Health)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Therapy may help people who suffer from chronic nightmares learn how to turn bad dreams into good ones. But some experts wonder if changing your nightmares robs the waking mind of crucial information. (Source: NYT)

Nightmares are increasingly being viewed as a distinct disorder, and researchers have empirical evidence that cognitive therapy can help reduce their frequency and intensity, or even eliminate them. (Source: NYT Health)

Conclusions Relations among sleep problems, indicators of inadequate sleep, and psychopathology are complex; accounting for potential confounding variables and considering sleep variables separately may clarify these relations. (Source: Journal of Pediatric Psychology)

She survived the nightmare, but three of her six children, as well as her husband, did not. In fact, Muzammil Akbar says, it was her husband Akbar Ali who had fed poison to their three eldest children before handing her a "handful of white tablets". (Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health)

This article originated on Care2.com. (Source: Psychology Today Relationships Center)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

This weekend the latest movie opens from writer-director Christopher Nolan -- whose last blockbuster was The Dark Knight -- and explores the world of sleep and dreams in the thriller Inception. Early reviews of the film are quite favorable. Inception dwells on the layers of our subconsciousness, including sleep stages, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a dream thief named Dom Cobb. Cobb enters the minds of those deep in sleep to steal information from their dreams, and he is hired to plant an idea in a business competitor's mind to ruin his empire. Much of the movie is spent guessing -- both by the viewers and the characters -- what is a product of dream sleep, REM, and what is not. Research has revealed that dreams are much more than the byproduct of an active mind during periods of rest. ...

The story I am about to tell you is true, although it reads much like an episode of the TV show Law and Order or CSI. It begins with a beautiful and talented, celebrity victim and ends in a court room filled with forensic evidence. Along the way we have a popular uprising in favor of the accused, a midnight attempt to escape reach of the law and an exploration of the deep bond that a family has with their dog. Here is the way it might look on television.The setting is the quiet village of Shohola, in north eastern Pennsylvania. A pretty 26-year-old brunette is jogging near her father`s home. She is Vanessa Carlton, a singer-songwriter-pianist who's best known for her 2002 hit "A Thousand Miles." Her talent is confirmed by the fact that she has been nominated for three Grammy awards.Suddenl...

Eliza* was trying to get her struggling three year old daughter into her stroller when, to her horror, she heard herself saying words she had vowed never to utter - phrases her mother had used throughout Eliza's childhood. Despite all of her efforts to parent her own children very differently, Eliza found that those familiar sentences were the first to come into her brain and out of her mouth when she and her daughter were engaged in a difficult struggle.Once it was a girl's dream to be just like her mom. Now it's more like every woman's nightmare. Yet it happens to us all. Like Eliza we hear our mother's words leaving our own mouths, or we look in a mirror and catch a glimpse of a familiar expression - not our own - and, as we get older, we see surprising reflections of our mother stare b...

Bryony Gordon seeks a cure for her recurring nightmares from psychotherapist Philippa Perry. (Source: Telegraph Health)

This study aimed to evaluate all known and hypothesized predictors for nightmare frequency measures in a population with frequent nightmares. A total of 666 Internet-recruited participants completed questionnaires on nightmares, sleep, and psychopathology, 146 of whom further completed a subsequent 7-day diary. In contrast to previous research, comparison of questionnaire- and diary-measured nightmare frequency revealed a significantly higher log-transformed nightmare frequency on the questionnaire: t(127) = 4.43; P MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Although a somewhat controversial diagnosis, recent studies suggest that soldiers returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan often suffer from symptoms suggestive of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as from difficulties sleeping. PTSD is a combination of symptoms that occur as a result of trauma. It is characterized by intrusive thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks of past traumatic events. The nightmares themselves may disrupt sleep. In addition, the increased arousal associated with PTSD may lead to lighter sleep and insomnia. It is important for anyone afflicted with PTSD symptoms to be in close contact with their physician. If you are suffering from disrupted sleep, there are many treatment options that have shown to be effective. Being open about your concerns ...

Even if you’ve thus far managed to avoid a personal crisis via economic downturn, domestic or foreign violence, or plain-out natural disaster, the cultural pulse of dread that dominates our times is inescapable. We’re still slogging through the aftermath of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Our landscapes -- literal, financial, and emotional -- have been shaken by earthquake and oil spill. Job losses and home foreclosures continue to ripple through the media headlines, with no clear end in sight. It seems that by the millions, Americans are facing agonizingly uncertain futures. In times of trouble, heightened anxiety is an appropriate response, one that can spark positive action. A few sleepless nights of fretting over impending layoffs may well drive someone to mo...

Sexsomnia masturbating or having sex while asleep affected almost 1 in 12 patients seeking treatment for sleep disorders in a new study. (Source: USATODAY.com Health)

CASE: Sarah is a 9 year old girl who was brought to her pediatrician with sleep difficulties and repetitive nightmares. Her mother reported that Sarah had problems falling asleep for several years with recurrent nightmares about her mother getting hurt. Sa... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Online Internet Psychotherapy and Counseling is becoming more popular than ever in today’s hectic life. As a professional psychotherapist, I have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of clients who prefer to conduct their therapy sessions in the comfort of their own homes. All say that they find online sessions using Skype or other videocam formats to be less intimidating and strangely, more relaxed and more personal. This is important therapeutically because this relaxed space helps clients get in touch with their feelings and explore them at a subtle level, which, of course, is a very delicate process requiring tremendous sensitivity, stillness and presence. Sometimes the physical presence of the therapist can interrupt this process and this can become a distraction for the client...MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Almost 8 percent of patients at a sleep clinic reported sexsomnia, study finds (Source: Primary Care News - Doctors Lounge)

Almost 8 percent of patients at a sleep clinic reported sexsomnia, study finds. (Source: U.S. News - Health)

Almost 8 percent of patients at a sleep clinic reported sexsomnia, study findsSource: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Page: Sleep Disorders (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Almost 8 percent of patients at a sleep clinic reported sexsomnia, study finds. (Source: U.S. News - Health)