Dreaming in patients with epilepsy: a cross-sectional cohort study.
Journal of Sleep Research October 1, 2025 Maïlis Charpentier-Hélary, Aurélien De la Chapelle, Maxime Linard et al.
People with epilepsy recall dreams on about 1.6 days per week, and 11% have at least one nightmare per week. Younger age, more nighttime awakenings, and fewer seizures predict more frequent dream recall. In patients with focal epilepsy, a seizure focus in the parieto-occipital area is linked to lower dream recall. About a third of patients have dreamed about epilepsy, and such dreams are associated with sleep-related seizures and more nightmares. The findings suggest that both general factors (age, awakenings, brain region) and epilepsy-specific factors (seizure frequency, focus location) shape dreaming in epilepsy.