David Callejo, anesthesiologist and health expert: "Frequent nightmares can be a warning sign for conditions such as anxiety or depression."

Dreams are universal phenomena that have intrigued humanity for centuries. For some, they are simple meaningless images; for others, like psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, they are a direct path to the unconscious. In his work The Interpretation of Dreams , published in 1900, Freud argued that dreams are disguised manifestations of repressed desires and conflicts. Today, science has made progress in understanding these dreamlike episodes, and many experts agree that frequent nightmares may be linked to health problems .

One such expert is David Callejo Crespo , an anesthesiologist and health educator, who warns that recurring nightmares shouldn't be ignored. "Do you wake up sweating and with your heart racing because you've been dreaming?" Callejo asks, before explaining that these types of episodes can reveal more than meets the eye.

Recurring nightmares: a possible warning from the body

“Frequent nightmares aren't just a childhood phenomenon. They can be a warning sign for conditions such as anxiety , depression , or post-traumatic stress,” the specialist stated. These types of intense dreams, which provoke anguish, fear, or a sense of threat, may be related to emotional imbalances that warrant clinical attention. But the link isn't limited to mental health: Callejo also cites a study of US veterans, in which a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease was observed among those who suffered from nightmares regularly.

Although many people believe that what they eat for dinner can influence their dreams, the anesthesiologist clarifies that there is no solid evidence to confirm this. "It seems this is a myth because there are no studies proving it," he points out, although he acknowledges that the scientific literature on the subject is limited. However, he warns that some drugs and substances of abuse can increase the frequency of nightmares .

Callejo emphasizes that there are effective strategies to reduce their occurrence and help sufferers cope with them better. "There are therapies that involve writing down nightmares and then using relaxation techniques , or even teaching the patient how to change the ending of nightmares to make them more pleasant , " he explains. These psychological strategies, such as guided rewriting or dream monitoring, can significantly alleviate the associated discomfort. In addition to behavioral approaches, pharmacological treatment is also available. "We have treatments with drugs like prazosin," Callejo says.