Nightmares reveal HEALTH warning signs

One study, published in the journal Neurology in 1996, found that 38 per cent of patients  with frequent nightmares from REM sleep behaviour disorder developed Parkinson's on average 12.7 years after they began to experience them.

Migraines, too, are often preceded by unpleasant dreams, involving themes of anger, aggression and misfortune, according to a study in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 1996. Around one in four migraine sufferers experiences an aura before an attack: they see flashing lights or zigzags, and hallucinations.

'Sometimes, an aura occurs during REM sleep as a nightmare or very intense, vivid dream, where the aura is experienced as a blinding light or spinning wheel during the dream,' says Professor McNamara.

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