The Gold Coast Bulletin

Lie-ins a nightmare

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THE chance to have a lie-in is a dream come true for many of us. But sleeping for too long can cause nightmares, research suggests.

More than nine hours of shut-eye doubles your risk of having a bad dream, compared with getting six hours, an Oxford University study found.

The scientists said nightmares occurred during the rapid-eye-movement (REM) stage – a type of sleep that occurs in intervals during the sleep cycle – so if you spend longer asleep, you will go through more stages of REM.

The researcher­s suggested cutting down on sleep if you experience a lot of nightmares, with seven to nine hours the optimum amount.

One of the study’s authors, Dr Bryony Sheaves, said some people may have noticed they have more dreams on days that they slept in.

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