Impact of Pre-Sleep Visual Media Exposure on Dreams: A Scoping Review
Brain Sciences June 29, 2024 Ajar Diushekeeva, Santiago Hidalgo, Antonio Zadra 4 citations
A scoping review of 29 experimental studies found modest and varied effects of watching visual media before sleep on dream content. The rate at which media elements appeared in dreams ranged from 3% to 43% for REM sleep dream reports, 4% to 30% for NREM sleep mentation reports, and 11% to 35% for home dream reports. The review highlights large methodological differences across studies and the general difficulty of influencing dream content through pre-sleep media exposure, while suggesting promising directions for future research into how digital media may affect dreams.