Disturbed dreaming during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Sleep Medicine June 1, 2014 Jessica Lara-Carrasco, Valérie Simard, Kadia Saint-Onge et al.
In late pregnancy, women experience more bad dreams and nightmares than non-pregnant women, even though overall dream recall is similar between the two groups. Among 57 third-trimester pregnant women and 59 non-pregnant controls, 21% of pregnant women reported nightmare frequency exceeding moderately severe pathology (more than one per week), compared to 7% of non-pregnant women. Pregnant women also reported lower sleep quality and more night awakenings. Higher recall of bad dreams and nightmares correlated with lower sleep quality in the pregnant group. The findings suggest that increased dysphoric dream imagery may contribute to impaired sleep during late pregnancy.