An elderly man went to the doctor after striking his wife in his sleep. She awakened him, and he remembered punching an attacker in his dream. The man had a history of sleeping and yelling in his sleep, but he had no history of gasping in his sleep. He had no history of depression or a family history of sleep disorders. The doctor discovered a shuffling gait, a resting tremor, and some cognitive rigidity. A sleep study was performed and no sleep apnea was present, but there was a marked increase in muscle tone in REM sleep. After further investigation, it was found that the nightmares were caused by Parkinson’s Disease …show more content…
Imagery Rehearsal Therapy is a technique that may be beneficial to some. IRT is when clients are taught to change their dreams by writing down alternative endings or writing new dreams, then thinking about them and rehearsing them during the day (Sibilia). Sometimes, people experience nightmares because of an underlying medical condition. In these cases, the underlying condition is treated. At times, this condition is treated as stress or anxiety as either may be a possibility. Medication is rarely used as treatment, but at times medication to reduce sleep awakenings are used