SINGER Amy Winehouse is terrorising Scots while they sleep, new research has found.
The snooze study listed the troubled pop star as the number one celebrity popping into our nightmares.
Goth rocker Marilyn Manson was just behind Amy as the second most likely celebrity feature during a troubled sleep.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown was third and Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling was tenth.
The poll by Travelodge asked 3,500 Brits about their bad dreams and the effect they have.
Their responses found that 82 per cent of Scots wake up traumatised by their nightmare, with 51 per cent of these adults citing their traumatic dream experiences as their reason for having a “hellish day.”
Common conditions experienced by adults waking from a nightmare included sweating, shaking, crying and screaming.
And it appears as though the credit crunch is also preying heavily on the minds of Scots sleepers.
Fear of having no money, no job and no home has been listed by the public as the fourth most common nightmare.
Leigh McCarron, Travelodge’s director of sleep, believes that the effect a nightmare can have on a person’s state of mind should not be taken for granted.
She said; “A nightmare is much more intense than a bad dream, it can arouse feelings of fear, horror and distress.
“It replicates our deepest fears and can reflect the different types of stresses we face in our waking world.
“Nightmarish thoughts, such as losing your job, being homeless, falling and being chased are a manifestation of how much the credit crunch is affecting our daily lives and causing distressed sleep patterns.
“It’s no wonder Gordon Brown and Alistair darling are making a special appearance in our nightmares at the moment, both symbolise the fears we are facing in today’s economy”.
According to the study, nearly 120,000 Scots suffer from a distressing nightmare every night.
And the Sleep Council believes that external factors can contribute to an unpleasant night’s sleep.
Jan Turner from the Sleep Council said: “Disturbances of your sleep can have many different effects. They can wake you up or maybe, as some people suggest, have an effect on your dreams.
“Anything that can give you a disturbed sleep is going to make your sleep uncomfortable, whatever form that takes.
“If you have a lot on your mind before you go to sleep, sit up and write it down. Once you’ve done that it is off your mind and you shouldn’t think about it.”
She also recommended winding down before going to sleep and avoiding excessive amounts of food, drink and exercise before putting your head down.
The most common nightmare reported by Scots who took the survey was being chased.
Losing a loved one and falling were the second and third most frequent nightmare.
