The eveningness chronotype is associated with nightmare distress and dream recall: a cross-sectional study.
Yi-Seul Choo, Sang Wook Hong, Ga Eun Koo, Su-Hyun Han
Sleep and biological rhythms July 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s41105-023-00449-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy adult participants without major sleep disorders who visited a sleep laboratory between 2016 and 2021 |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Chronotype Circadian rhythm |
| Key findings | Eveningness chronotype correlated with better dream recall and higher nightmare distress compared to morningness and intermediate chronotypes. |
Abstract
Dreaming may be affected by sleep behavior; however, evidence of the effect of chronotypes on dreaming is limited. We investigated sleep patterns, dream recall, and nightmare distress according to chronotypes. This cross-sectional study retrospectively enrolled adult participants (age > 18 years) who visited a sleep laboratory between 2016 and 2021 and underwent standard polysomnography (PSG) and completed a self-reported questionnaire. Patients with major sleep disorders were excluded. Chronotypes and dreaming components were assessed using the Korean version of the morningness-eveningness questionnaire and a nine-item dreaming questionnaire (nightmare distress and dream recall), respectively. Among healthy participants without major sleep disorders, the eveningness chronotype correlated with better dream recall than the morningness and intermediate chronotypes. Participants with the eveningness chronotype were younger and more likely to be unmarried than those with the other chronotypes. No significant chronotype-based difference was observed in the subjective measurements of sleep quality, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, depression, and anxiety or in respiration and movement events on PSG. In multivariate linear regression analysis, the chronotypes were independently related to nightmare distress (b = - 0.296; p = 0.002) and dream recall (b = - 0.334; p = 0.002). The apnea-hypopnea index was associated with nightmare distress (b = - 0.209; p = 0.029) and dream recall (b = - 0.189; p = 0.044). Depression was positively correlated with nightmare distress (b = 0.450; p = 0.002). Dream recall was best in the eveningness group among healthy adults. Greater eveningness was associated with higher nightmare distress and better dream recall. Further research is needed to understand the role of chronotypes in dreaming.
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 2
- The relationships between insomnia, nightmares, and dreams: A systematic review Sleep Medicine Reviews April 16, 2024
- Prevalence of different parasomnias in the general Norwegian population, and their association with insomnia, anxiety, and depression. A cross-sectional web-panel survey Frontiers in Sleep April 23, 2026
Cites 8
- Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Sleep 2002
- Spotlight on dream recall: the ages of dreams Nature and Science of Sleep 2018
- Dreaming correlates of alexithymia among sleep-disordered patients. Dreaming March 1, 2011
- Dreams reflect nocturnal cognitive processes: Early-night dreams are more continuous with waking life, and late-night dreams are more emotional and hyperassociative. Consciousness and Cognition February 1, 2021
- Methodological Recommendations to Control for Factors Influencing Dream and Nightmare Recall in Clinical and Experimental Studies of Dreaming. Frontiers in Neurology 2020
and 3 more in the library