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A sudden increase in the frequency of nightmares and hallucinations could indicate that something sinister is happening with your health.
A sudden increase in nightmares and hallucinations has been linked to the early stages of autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus (SLE), which affects more than 20,000 people in Australia and New Zealand.
Patients reported horrifying visions of “skin falling off” and “Alice in Wonderland creatures coming to life” before they were diagnosed with various autoimmune diseases; lupus was the most common.
Lupus is a condition in which the body’s immune system, which normally protects it from threats such as viruses and bacteria, mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.
“Rheumatologists are well aware that SLE can affect any organ in the body, including the brain, which is called neuropsychiatric SLE,” Dr Sam Whittle, president of the Australian Rheumatology Association, told FEMAIL.
Dr Sam Whittle, President of the Australian Rheumatology Association
“Because the brain is such a complex organ, any dysfunction due to a disease like SLE can present itself in many different ways.”
A recent study by the University of Cambridge and King’s College London found a connection between neuropsychiatric symptoms and disease flares.
The study examined data from nearly 700 people with the condition, and patients were interviewed about a range of neurological and mental health symptoms.
The results revealed that people with lupus were often misdiagnosed with mental health problems and admitted to hospital for “episodes of psychosis” for months before doctors discovered the true cause.
Nightmares were one of the most commonly reported symptoms, experienced by three in five patients, and a third of them reported sleep disturbances more than a year before the onset of lupus.
Patients reported that these nightmares were often vivid and distressing, and involved aspects such as being attacked, trapped, crushed, or falling.
One patient described them to investigators as: “Horrible, like murder, like skin peeling off people.”
The patient thought this happened when he was “overwhelmed” by lupus.
“The more stress I have under my body, the more vivid and bad the dreams will be,” they said.
Hallucinations are believed to be related to lupus’ attack on healthy brain tissue.
However, some claimed that the visions were not always frightening: “It’s not necessarily scary, it’s like you’ve had a dream and yet you’re sitting awake in the garden.”
“I see different things, it’s like when you wake up and you can’t remember your dream and you’re there but you’re not there, it’s like feeling really disoriented, the closest thing I can think of is that I feel like I’m Alice in Wonderland. ‘
Doctors have discovered that an increase in the frequency of nightmares and hallucinations could indicate that something sinister is happening with your health.
Should I see a doctor if I have nightmares?
“Nightmares and related forms of sleep disturbances are common, and SLE is a rare disease, so for most people who experience nightmares, this will not be a sign of an autoimmune disease,” Dr. Whittle said. .
“Anyone who develops new symptoms of any kind that worry them should discuss them with their doctor, but nightmares as an isolated phenomenon should not be considered a sign of an impending autoimmune disease.”
However, he noted a significant distinction in SLE symptoms related to nightmares.
“For people who have already been diagnosed with SLE, the neuropsychiatric characteristics that an individual experiences (which can include things like nightmares) are often similar for that person each time their illness recurs.”
Therefore, a recurring nightmare could indicate that a disease outbreak is looming on the horizon.
Patients reported that the nightmares were often vivid and distressing, and involved aspects such as being attacked, trapped, crushed, or falling.
The researchers encouraged doctors to ask their patients about mental symptoms rather than just physical ones, in hopes of being able to diagnose illnesses more quickly.
Professor David D’Cruz, an expert in autoimmune diseases at King’s and author of the study, said: “I have talked about nightmares with my lupus patients for many years and thought there was a link to their disease activity.”
Professor Guy Leschziner, another author of the study and a neurologist at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital, added: “We have long been aware that disturbances in dreams can mean changes in physical, neurological and mental health and can sometimes be early indicators of a disease.
“However, this is the first evidence that nightmares can also help us manage an autoimmune disease as serious as lupus, and it is an important warning to both patients and doctors that sleep symptoms can tell us about a imminent relapse.”