If you have a nightmare every month or more, these dreams can accelerate ageing and shorten your lifespan! A recent study found an alarming link between nightmares and premature death — all the more reason to pay attention to nightmares and treat them if they visit frequently.
In the latest version of my book, A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy, 2nd Edition, I devote a new chapter to the nuances and details of nightmare treatment — both for clinicians, and anyone interested in finding help for disturbing dreams. I recorded a one-hour talk on the chapter, including a case study of a session that profoundly transformed the dream. As a gift to my paid subscribers, you are welcome to access the recording. I’ll put the link at the end.
If you’re interested in details of the study here they are:
Nightmares linked with premature death
Shocking new research has found that frequent nightmares are a stronger predictor of premature death than smoking, obesity, poor diet or lack of physical activity. This information, not yet published, was presented in June 2025 at the European Academy of Neurology Congress in Helsinki, Finland.
Otaiku and colleagues at the UK Dementia Research Institute and Imperial College London analyzed data from 183,012 adults and 2,429 children across six long-term groupings, following participants’ nightmare and health patterns for up to 19 years. The results show that those with weekly nightmares are more than 3 times more likely to die before age 70 compared with those who experience nightmares infrequently or never.
They found that nightmares also age us more quickly, and this accounts for about 40% of the increased risk of death. According to Otaiku, there are two main factors linking nightmares with premature ageing and death: chronic stress and sleep disruption. Both conditions adversely affect cellular health, restoration and repair.