Frontiers in Sleep
September 9, 2026
Brian D. Robertson, Emily F. Wargo, Joel Fay
Objective Nightmares are a common, distressing condition among individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are associated with impaired sleep quality and elevated suicide risk. First responders carry a substantial burden of occupational trauma and PTSD yet are under-represented in nightmare-treatment research. NightWare is an FDA-authorized prescription wearable that monitors...
Frontiers in Sleep
June 24, 2026
Adam Haar Horowitz, Karen R Konkoly, Michelle Carr et al.
Targeted dream incubation (TDI) is a highly effective method for eliciting hypnagogic dreams related to specific topics through the presentation of verbal prompts and serial awakenings at sleep onset. In this pilot study, we tested whether TDI at sleep onset can effectively direct dream content in subsequent rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We allowed participants a daytime nap opportunity...
Frontiers in Sleep
June 24, 2026
Iñigo Saez-Uribarri
Introduction: The return to normal life following the COVID-19 pandemic was evaluated in terms of anxiety upon awakening, sleep quality indicators, and dream characteristics. Methods: The sample comprised 394 women and 107 men who completed an online self-report questionnaire between August 15, 2022, and December 8, 2022 about their sleep and dream experience from the previous night....
Frontiers in Sleep
April 23, 2026
Erlend Haarr Drugli, Oskar Emil Lehmann, Ståle Pallesen et al.
Objective: To estimate the prevalence of various parasomnias in the general Norwegian adult population and explore their associations with insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in September 2024 among 1002 adults (50.7% male, mean age 50.3), drawn from a large population-based sample from a national web panel. Participants reported lifetime...
Frontiers in Sleep
February 27, 2026
Lisa DeMarni Cromer, Emily Kaier Cromwell, Lauren Prince et al.
Theories of chronic nightmare maintenance highlight dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and nightmares, distress and arousal, anticipatory anxiety, maladaptive sleep habits, and sleep deprivation as perpetuating factors that maintain nightmare disorder over time. Theories of nightmare treatment suggest that self-efficacy is a common factor in nightmare mitigation. The current article introduces...
Frontiers in Sleep
January 8, 2026
Jon‐Håkon Schultz, June Forsberg, Eva Alisic et al.
1 citation
Introduction Recurrent nightmares often severely impair the quality of life, school functioning, and daily functioning of trauma-exposed children and adolescents. However, research to date is limited for treatments focused on reducing the impact of posttraumatic nightmares among youth in conflict zones. This study aimed to investigate the outcome of the Better Learning Program 3 (BLP) as it was...
Frontiers in Sleep
September 11, 2025
Nazanin Biabani, Martina Mulas, Carlotta Mutti et al.
2 citations
Background: REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is characterized by loss of normal muscle atonia during REM sleep, often associated with dream enactment behaviors, and is typically a prodromal neurodegenerative condition in middle-aged and older adults. However, emerging case reports and case series suggest that not all RBD presentations follow this trajectory, particularly in younger...
Frontiers in Sleep
July 23, 2025
Lorenzo Bertolini, Sergio Consoli, Julie Weeds
2 citations
Introduction: A growing body of work has used machine learning and AI tools to analyse dream reports, and compare them to other textual content. Since these tools are usually trained on text from the web, researchers have speculated they might not be suited to model dreams reports, often labeled as "unusual" and "bizarre" content. Methods: We used a set of large language models (LLMs) to encode...
Frontiers in Sleep
July 11, 2024
Lisa DeMarni Cromer, Sarah Beth Bell, Lauren Prince et al.
8 citations
Introduction This study examined the efficacy of a five-module cognitive behavioral therapy for nightmares in children (CBT-NC) and improving sleep. Materials and methods Forty-six youth aged 6–17 years with sleep problems and at least weekly chronic and distressing nightmares were randomized to treatment ( n = 23) or waiting list ( n = 23) using a block four randomized design. Among...
Frontiers in Sleep
May 28, 2024
Lucas Bellaiche, Adam Haar Horowitz, Mason McClay et al.
5 citations
Hypnagogia—the transitional state between wakefulness and sleep—is marked by “hypnagogic dreams,” during which our brains tend to forge connections among concepts that are otherwise unrelated. This process of creating novel associations during hypnagogic dreams is said to contribute to enhancing creativity, learning, and memory. Recently, researchers have proposed that mind-wandering—a form of...