What characterizes Nightmare Disorder?

Nightmare Disorder is characterized primarily by experiencing vivid and often frightening dreams that lead to significant distress or impairment during waking hours. Individuals typically awaken from these dreams and can recall them in fine detail, with a strong sense of fear or anxiety associated with the content. This vivid recall is an essential aspect of Nightmare Disorder, distinguishing it from other sleep disturbances where dreams may be less vivid or forgotten upon waking.

In this context, recalling dysphoric dreams in detail aligns with the diagnostic criteria of Nightmare Disorder. The nature of these dreams—often involving threats to personal safety or situations causing distress—are distinctly remembered and contribute to the individual's anxiety or difficulty in resuming sleep after the episode.

Other choices reflect characteristics that do not pertain to Nightmare Disorder. For example, the inability to remember dream content pertains more closely to other sleep issues, while an abrupt awakening with no recall might suggest different sleep disorders, such as sleep terrors or a fragmented sleep state. Additionally, awakening during the first third of sleep is not a defining characteristic of Nightmare Disorder, as the nightmares can occur in the latter stages of sleep, particularly during REM sleep when dream recall is best.