The worrying reason you should go to a doctor if you've suddenly started having nightmares

A sudden rise in the frequency of nightmares and hallucinations could point to something sinister going on with your health.

A sudden spike in nightmares and hallucinations has been linked to early stages of autoimmune illnesses like lupus erythematosus (SLE), which impacts more than 20,000 people in Australia and New Zealand.

Patients reported horrific visions of their 'skin falling off' and 'creatures from Alice in Wonderland coming to life' before they were diagnosed with various autoimmune diseases; lupus was the most common.

Lupus is a condition where the body's immune system, which normally protects it from threats like viruses and bacteria, mistakenly attacks healthy tissue instead. 

'Rheumatologists are acutely aware that SLE can effect any organ in the body, including the brain, which is called neuropsychiatric SLE,' Dr Sam Whittle, President of the Australian Rheumatology Association, told FEMAIL.

Dr Sam Whittle, President of the Australian Rheumatology Association

'As the brain is such a complex organ, any dysfunction due to a disease such as SLE can present in a vast number of ways.'

A recent study by the University of Cambridge and King's College London found a connection between neuropsychiatric symptoms and disease flares. 

The study examined data from nearly 700 people with the condition and patients were interviewed about a range of neurological and mental health symptoms.

Results revealed that people with lupus were often misdiagnosed with mental health issues and admitted to the hospital for 'episodes of psychosis' for months before doctors discovered the true cause. 

Nightmares were one of the most commonly reported symptoms, experienced by three in five patients, with a third of these reporting disturbed dream sleep more than a year before onset of lupus. 

Read More

I'm a cancer dietitian and these are the two supermarket buys you MUST avoid to lower your risk of getting the disease

Patients reported these nightmares were often vivid and distressing, involving aspects like being attacked, trapped, crushed, or falling.

One patient descried them to researchers as: 'Horrific, like murders, like skin coming off people'.

The patient thought this happened when they were 'overwhelmed' by lupus. 

'The more stress my body is under then the more vivid and bad the dreaming would be,' they said.

Hallucinations are believed to be related to lupus attacking healthy tissue in the brain.

However, some claimed the visions weren't always terrifying: 'It's like not necessarily scary, it's just like you've had a dream and yet you're sitting awake in the garden.

'I see different things, it's like when you wake up and you can't remember your dream and you're there but you're not there, it's like feeling really disorientated, the nearest thing I can think of is that I feel like I'm Alice in Wonderland.'

Doctors have found that a rise in the frequency of nightmares and hallucinations could point to something sinister going on with your health

Should I see a doctor if I have nightmares?

'Nightmares and related forms of sleep disturbance are common, and SLE is a rare condition, so for the majority of people who are experiencing nightmares, this will not be a sign of an autoimmune condition,' Dr Whittle said. 

'Anyone who develops new symptoms of any type which concern them should discuss them with their doctor, but nightmares as an isolated phenomenon should not be considered a sign of an impending autoimmune disease.'

However, he noted one significant distinction in nightmare-related SLE symptoms.

'For people who have already been diagnosed with SLE, the neuropsychiatric features that an individual experiences (which may include things like nightmares) are often similar for that individual person each time that their disease flares.'

Hence, a recurring nightmare might signal that a disease flare is on the horizon.

Patients reported nightmares were often vivid and distressing, involving aspects like being attacked, trapped, crushed, or falling 

Researchers encouraged doctors to ask their patients about the mental symptoms instead of just physical with the hope they will be able to diagnose illnesses quicker. 

Professor David D'Cruz, an expert in autoimmune disease from King's and an author of the study said: 'For many years I have discussed nightmares with my lupus patients and thought that there was a link with their disease activity.' 

Professor Guy Leschziner, another study author and neurologist at Guys' and St Thomas' hospital, added: 'We have long been aware that alterations in dreaming may signify changes in physical, neurological and mental health, and can sometimes be early indicators of disease.

'However, this is the first evidence that nightmares may also help us monitor such a serious autoimmune condition like lupus, and is an important prompt to patients and clinicians alike that sleep symptoms may tell us about impending relapse.'