Impact of Pre-Sleep Visual Media Exposure on Dreams: A Scoping Review

A scoping review of 29 experimental studies found modest and varied effects of watching visual media before sleep on dream content. The rate at which media elements appeared in dreams ranged from 3% to 43% for REM sleep dream reports, 4% to 30% for NREM sleep mentation reports, and 11% to 35% for home dream reports. The review highlights large methodological differences across studies and the general difficulty of influencing dream content through pre-sleep media exposure, while suggesting promising directions for future research into how digital media may affect dreams.

Study at a glance

Abstract

A body of experimental research has aimed to investigate processes underlying dream formation by examining the effects of a range of pre-sleep stimuli and events on subsequent dream content. Given its ever-growing presence and salience in people's everyday lives, pre-sleep media consumption stands out as a key variable that could influence people's dreams. We conducted a scoping review to evaluate the experimental evidence of the effects of pre-sleep exposure to visual media on dream content. A systematic search on PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science using terms related to moving visual media and dreams yielded 29 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Overall, we found modest yet varied effects of pre-sleep exposure to visual media on dream content, with rates of stimulus-related incorporation ranging from 3% to 43% for REM dream reports, 4% to 30% for NREM sleep mentation reports, and between 11% and 35% for home dream reports. Our review highlights the large methodological heterogeneity and gaps across studies, the general difficulty in influencing dream content using pre-sleep exposure to visual media, and suggests promising venues for future research to advance our understanding of how and why digital media may impact people's dreams.