Sleep
December 11, 2023
Lauren Hudachek, Erin J. Wamsley
Abstract The frequent appearance of newly learned information in dreams suggests that dream content is influenced by memory consolidation. Many studies have tested this hypothesis by asking whether dreaming about a learning task is associated with improved memory, but results have been inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine the strength of the association between...
Sleep
November 16, 2023
Péter Simor, Bertalan Polner, Noémi Báthori et al.
9 citations
Mind-wandering is a mental state in which attention shifts from the present environment or current task to internally driven, self-referent mental content. Homeostatic sleep pressure seems to facilitate mind-wandering as indicated by studies observing links between increased mind-wandering and impaired sleep. Nevertheless, previous studies mostly relied on cross-sectional measurements and...
Sleep
August 26, 2023
Remington Mallett, Jason Jameson, Ken A Paller et al.
2 citations
Recurrent nightmares affect up to 8% of the general population and over 50% of those with a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis [1]. Despite known associations between nightmares and negative mental health outcomes [2], little is known concerning how nightmares relate to physical health outcomes. Disruptions to sleep micro- and macro-architecture in frequent nightmare recallers [3]...
Sleep
July 12, 2023
Barry Krakow
3 citations
Dear Editor, Campbell et al. report an interesting association between nightmares and cardiovascular (CVS) risk [1]. The methodology in this work, however, is limited in ways that must be addressed in future research. In clinical sleep medicine as well as in several sleep research investigations, it is apparent chronic nightmare disorder often co-exists with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB)...
Sleep
May 29, 2023
Odalis G Garcia, Katherine A. Duggan
Abstract: Introduction: Dream content is typically measured using self-reports which draw heavily on psychoanalytic theory. There is a need for a modern, reliable, validated, and comprehensive measure of dream content and experience. The DIAMONDS taxonomy has been developed and extensively validated by social/personality psychologists to assess psychologically salient features of waking...
Sleep
May 29, 2023
Stephanie Hart, Lauren Tobias
Abstract Introduction Narcolepsy and Parkinson’s disease (PD) share many similar symptoms. Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep attacks, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations, with or without cataplexy. Hypnagogic hallucinations occur while falling asleep and the person experiencing them typically knows they are not real. Here, we present a case of hypnagogic...
Sleep
May 29, 2023
Regan Christian, Danica C. Slavish
Abstract: Introduction: Most adults experience a traumatic event at some point in their lifetime, and some also go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sleep disorders such as insomnia and nightmares are common in PTSD, which may be due to hyperarousal and distressing memories that disrupt the sleep-wake cycle. Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) is a new distinct diagnosis of PTSD that...
Sleep
May 1, 2023
Afik Faerman, Lauren Anker, Kirsten Cherian et al.
5 citations
Abstract Introduction Ibogaine is an indole alkaloid traditionally used in spiritual and healing rites in some African cultures. Ibogaine is primarily studied in the context of substance dependence, but indications suggest it may enhance recovery from trauma. Here, we investigated the effects of ibogaine treatment for multisystem effects of exposure to repeated blasts and combat on...
Sleep
May 1, 2023
Elena Stuewe, Katherine B. Malcolm, Steven H. Woodward et al.
Abstract Introduction Observational research demonstrates a strong association between nightmares, insomnia, and sleep apnea in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), supportive of the notion of a “complex sleep disturbance”. Relations between sleep disturbances and PTSD are often bi-directional and disturbed sleep affects non-sleep PTSD outcomes. We aimed to examine relationships...
Sleep
May 1, 2023
Elizabeth F. Rasmussen, Emily J. Ricketts, Daniel S. Joyce et al.
Abstract Introduction Adverse childhood experiences can increase likelihood of hyperarousal, especially around periods of vulnerability. Survivors of trauma also experience more nightmares. These data explore whether adverse childhood events are associated with adult insomnia severity and nightmares. Methods Data were obtained from the Sleep and Healthy Activity, Diet, Environment, and...
Sleep
May 1, 2023
Zahari N. Tchopev, Brent Jacobus, Shana L. Hansen et al.
Abstract Introduction The incidence of nightmares and dreams during clinically indicated polysomnography (PSG) is rarely reported. We sought to (1) describe the incidence of nightmares and dreams during PSG, (2) PSG characteristics of nightmares and dreams, and (3) identify clinical correlates. Methods Ninety-three patients undergoing an initial clinically indicated PSG had a post-PSG and...
Sleep
May 1, 2023
Michael Price, Rachel N Chavez, Jessica Perrotte et al.
Theoretically, during dreaming, weak associations are explored, and information is combined in novel ways, which could lead to increased creativity during waking. However, little research has explored direct relationships between dreaming and objective measures of creativity and the ability to creatively solve problems. Furthermore, personality influences dream recall frequency (DRF) and other...
Sleep
May 1, 2023
Brent Jacobus, Zahari N. Tchopev
Trauma associated sleep disorder (TSD) manifests with trauma-related nightmares, disruptive nocturnal behaviors (DNB), and autonomic hyperactivity. Although patients with TSD frequently report DNB, events are infrequently identified during in-lab polysomnography (PSG), possibly due to a sense of safety imparted by a monitored environment. It is unknown if patients with TSD acclimate to the lab...
Sleep
May 1, 2023
Brian D. Robertson, A. Liem
Introduction: Nightmare disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-associated nightmares can be treatment-resistant in many patients. There are no recommended treatments for these conditions currently. Methods: NightWare is a novel FDA-approved class II medical device which improves sleep in patients with nightmare disorder and PTSD-associated nightmares. It uses data from a smart watch...
Sleep
May 1, 2023
A. Pal, Anurag Agrawal, D. Ghahremani et al.
Both breathing based meditation (interoceptive) and relaxation by improving blood circulation using heat and massage (exteroceptive) are known to reduce physiological stress. In this study, we determined the effect of stress-reduction on sleep. Our main population of interest was peri- and post- menopausal women who may develop sleep disorders correlated with early-life physical abuse. 20...
Sleep
May 1, 2023
Remington Mallett, Laura Sowin, Michelle Carr
Nightmares are a critical component of multidimensional sleep health. Frequent nightmare recallers suffer reduced sleep length, depressed mood, and are more likely to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder in the future. Reliable population estimates of nightmare frequency are difficult to obtain and often restricted to rigid timepoints (e.g., once per year). Thus, there is a need for...
Sleep
May 1, 2023
Zahari N. Tchopev, Brent Jacobus, S. Hansen et al.
The incidence and clinical significance of nightmares is difficult to estimate due to varying criteria across studies. The Nightmare Disorder Index (NDI) is a validated measure to evaluate nightmare disorder. However, there is no measure to differentiate trauma-related nightmares compared to trauma associated sleep disorder (TSD), a unique REM parasomnia. The objectives of this study were to...
Sleep
April 12, 2023
Claudia Picard-Deland, Karen R Konkoly, Rachel Raider et al.
Memories of waking-life events are incorporated into dreams, but their incorporation is not uniform across a night of sleep. This study aimed to elucidate ways in which such memory sources vary by sleep stage and time of night. Twenty healthy participants (11 F; 24.1 ± 5.7 years) spent a night in the laboratory and were awakened for dream collection approximately 12 times spread across early,...
Sleep
January 19, 2023
Tony J. Cunningham
The function and meaning of dreams continue to fascinate and allude humankind. Despite the near universal intrigue, the pendulum of public and scientific opinion on dream research seems to have regularly oscillated over the past 150 years between fringe parapsychology and mainstream scholarly pursuit. One contributing factor is that dream research has always and continues to primarily rely on...
Sleep
January 5, 2023
Vincent Mysliwiec, Matthew S. Brock, Kristi E. Pruiksma
1 citation
The manuscript by Wong et al. in this issue [1] reports on nightmare-related findings at baseline and 1-year follow-up in a large scale, epidemiological mental health study of youth in Hong Kong from May 2019 to March 2022. Using a frequency of one or more nightmares per week based on the “having bad dreams” (translates to “nightmares” in Chinese) question from the Pittsburgh sleep quality...
Sleep
November 29, 2022
Luc Masset, Milan Nigam, Anne Ladarre et al.
9 citations
Dream's emotions could exert a major role in desensitizing negative emotions. Studying emotional dynamics (how emotions fluctuate across time) during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep could provide some insight into this function. However, studies so far have been limited to dream reports. To bypass this limit, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), in which participants enact their dreams, enables...
Sleep
July 11, 2022
Claudia Picard-Deland, Max-Antoine Allaire, Tore Nielsen
5 citations
Early research suggests that the vestibular system is implicated in lucid dreaming, e.g. frequent lucid dreamers outperform others on static balance tasks. Furthermore, gravity-themed dreams, such as flying dreams, frequently accompany lucid dreaming. Nonetheless, studies are scarce. We attempted to: (1) replicate previous findings using more sensitive static balance measures and (2) extend...
Sleep
May 25, 2022
Abstract: Introduction: Nightmares are associated with enormous suffering as well as a significant reduction in the quality of life of those affected. Various studies also show a direct correlation between the frequency of nightmares and suicidal tendencies. Nightmares are therefore diseases that must be taken very seriously. Currently, they are treated with costly therapy methods and sometimes...
Sleep
May 25, 2022
Maurice Ohayon, Amir Pakpour, Marie Lise Cote
Abstract Introduction Hypnagogic hallucinations are vivid hallucinations that occur at sleep onset, during the transition between wakefulness and REM sleep. The hallucinations can be visual, auditory, tactile or kinetic and can be terrifying for the individual who experience them. Hypnagogic hallucinations are a common symptom of narcolepsy, a disorder characterized by excessive sleepiness,...
Sleep
May 25, 2022
Feby Puravath Manikat, Clete A. Kushida
Abstract Introduction Exploding head syndrome is a rare phenomenon characterized by a loud imagined noise at sleep onset. Less commonly, it is associated with a simultaneous stab of pain in the forehead. It may result in recurring arousals and anxiety regarding the events. The underlying pathophysiology remains unknown. Report of Cases: A 27 year old male with no past medical history presented...