Nightmare Disorder: An Overview

Nightmare disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder-associated nightmares cause significant disruption in sleep, which results in daytime dysfunction. Treatments for this condition have proven to be treatment resistant in many cases, and effective treatment is sometimes unavailable due to limitations in the healthcare system or the lack of available qualified therapists. Treatment of nightmares can be done using a biofeedback device that uses the haptic functions of a commercially available watch running software that monitors sleep and interrupts nightmares when they occur. This device uses a version of machine learning to personalize treatment and adjust the interventions as the user’s sleep characteristics change over time.