Disturbed dreaming during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Jessica Lara-Carrasco, Valérie Simard, Kadia Saint-Onge, Vickie Lamoureux-Tremblay, Tore Nielsen
Sleep Medicine June 1, 2014 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2014.01.026 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractIn late pregnancy, women experience more bad dreams and nightmares than non-pregnant women, even though overall dream recall is similar between the two groups. Among 57 third-trimester pregnant women and 59 non-pregnant controls, 21% of pregnant women reported nightmare frequency exceeding moderately severe pathology (more than one per week), compared to 7% of non-pregnant women. Pregnant women also reported lower sleep quality and more night awakenings. Higher recall of bad dreams and nightmares correlated with lower sleep quality in the pregnant group. The findings suggest that increased dysphoric dream imagery may contribute to impaired sleep during late pregnancy.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Prospective cohort study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 116 |
| Population | Nulliparous third-trimester pregnant women and non-pregnant controls |
| Duration | 14-day prospective home log |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Bad dreams Disturbed dream recall Nightmares Pregnancy Sleep quality |
| Key finding | Pregnant women reported more bad dreams and nightmares than non-pregnant women, and higher dysphoric dream recall correlated with lower sleep quality. |
Abstract
The majority of women develop sleep impairments during pregnancy, but alterations in dream experiences remain poorly understood. This study aimed to assess prospectively and comparatively the recall of dreaming and of disturbed dreaming in late pregnancy. Fifty-seven nulliparous, third-trimester pregnant women (mean age±SD, 28.7±4.06 years) and 59 non-pregnant controls (mean age±SD, 26.8±4.21 years) completed demographics and psychological questionnaires. A 14-day prospective home log assessed sleep and dream characteristics and the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire measured retrospective dream and disturbed dream recall. Even though pregnant and non-pregnant women showed similar prospective dream recall (P=0.47), pregnant women reported prospectively more bad dreams (P=0.004). More pregnant women (21%) than non-pregnant women (7%) reported a nightmare incidence exceeding moderately severe pathology (>1/week) (P=0.03). Pregnant women also reported overall lower sleep quality (P=0.007) and more night awakenings (P=0.003). Higher prospective recall of bad dreams (r = -0.40, P=0.002) and nightmares (r = -0.32, P=0.001) both correlated with lower sleep quality in pregnant women. Late pregnancy is a period of markedly increased dysphoric dream imagery that may be a major contributor to impaired sleep at this time. Further polysomnographic assessments of pregnant women are needed to clarify relationships between sleep and disturbed dream production in this population.