It is not just kids who experience nightmares. Adults unlike children may not wake up from a nightmare turning blue and crying but it frightens them nevertheless.
A nightmare may be defined as, ‘an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness’.
Nightmares may stem from a variety of causes- sleeping in an uncomfortable position, having fever, being under stress and anxiety, certain medications and having a heavy meal just before bedtime.
Etymologically, the word ‘nightmare’ emanates from the old English word ‘mare’, which means a mythological demon or a goblin, which torments human beings with frightening dreams. Later the prefix ‘night’ was added to indicate the dream aspect.
We asked your favourite TV stars about their most terrifying nightmare experience. This is what they had to say: