Are nightmares scaring you to death? A new UK Dementia Research Institute study suggests there may be a link between recurrent bad dreams and an early demise. Are these results really what they seem or the kind of thing only nightmares are made of?

The study analyzed 18 years of data from more than 4,000 adults aged 26 to 74. Participants self-reported their nightmare frequency to create a baseline. Researchers considered premature death as anyone who passed before the age of 75.

Those who reported having weekly nightmares were three times more likely to die before the age of 75 compared to those who did not have weekly nightmares. Those who suffered nightmares also showed signs of accelerated aging, suggesting stress and sleep disruption may negatively impact cellular aging.

Dr. Alex T. Farris, a sleep medicine physician at Advocate Health Care, reassures that nightmares themselves are not dangerous.

“Dreams are based on what is already in your brain, such as memories, cognitive loops, anxieties and physical sensations that your body is feeling right at that moment,” he explains.

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