Hypnagogic states are quite common: Self-reported prevalence, modalities, and gender differences.
Consciousness and Cognition October 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103582 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Questionnaire study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 4,456 |
| Population | Participants in a questionnaire study |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Dreams Hypnagogic states Imagination Sleep paralysis |
| Key points | Hypnagogic states were reported by 80.2% of 4,456 participants, more prevalent in women, and similar to dreams in emotional quality and vividness. |
Abstract
The hypnagogic state refers to the transitional phase between wakefulness and sleep during which vivid experiences occur. In this questionnaire study, we assessed the self-reported prevalence of hypnagogic states considering the frequency of experiences in different modalities. We also assessed the emotional quality and the vividness of the experiences. Moreover, we compared hypnagogic states to other phenomena, such as dreams, sleep paralysis, imagination, and extra-sensory perception in these measures. Hypnagogic states were reported by 80.2 % of 4456 participants and were more prevalent in women than men. Experiences were most often kinaesthetic and visual, and less often auditory, tactile, and olfactory or gustatory. Hypnagogic states were less prevalent than dreams and characterized by different modality profiles. However, they were similar to dreams in their emotional quality, the irritation they caused, and in their vividness. In conclusion, hypnagogic states are quite common.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 583 |
| Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese adults from the community, mean age 40.9 years (SD 5.5,... | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey with subsequent clinical evaluation (two-phase design) | n = 8,558 |
| Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Adults (general population sample) | 2003 | Cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling | n = 444 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Representative sample of German adults | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 919 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Hallucinations and Related Perceptual Phenomena in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Inflammatory Arthritis: A Cross-sectional Mixed-Methods Study Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry May 19, 2025
- Functional Neurological Disorder, Sleep, and Dreaming: A Large Online Questionnaire-Based Study. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 2026
- Synesthesia is associated with distinctive patterns in dream content. Consciousness and Cognition 2026
Cites 23
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- Ghost Encounters Among Traumatized Cambodian Refugees: Severity, Relationship to PTSD, and Phenomenology. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry September 1, 2020
- Auditory Verbal Experience and Agency in Waking, Sleep Onset, REM, and Non‐REM Sleep Cognitive Science March 22, 2016
- Clinical features of isolated sleep paralysis. Sleep Medicine June 1, 2019
and 18 more in the library