What physicians need to know about dreams and dreaming.

Dream science remains poorly understood despite extensive study. Older research suffered from methodological problems such as unclear definitions, small sample sizes, and theoretical biases, and evidence is equivocal about whether rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and dreaming have a special relationship. Because the link between REM sleep and dreaming is poorly defined, evidence-based studies require a dream report. Dreaming can be studied through recall frequency, content, effects on waking behavior, associated medications, and pathophysiology. From behavioral, neuroanatomical, neurochemical, pathophysiological, and electrophysiological perspectives, dreaming is a complex cognitive state influenced by medical, psychological, sleep, and social variables.

Study at a glance

Abstract

An overview of the current status of dream science is given, designed to provide a basic background of this field for the sleep-interested physician. No cognitive state has been more extensively studied and is yet more misunderstood than dreaming. Much older work is methodologically limited by lack of definitions, small sample size, and constraints of theoretical perspective, with evidence equivocal as to whether any special relationship exists between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and dreaming. As the relationship between dreams and REM sleep is so poorly defined, evidence-based studies of dreaming require a dream report. The different aspects of dreaming that can be studied include dream and nightmare recall frequency, dream content, dreaming effect on waking behaviors, dream/nightmare associated medications, and pathophysiology affecting dreaming. Whether studied from behavioral, neuroanatomical, neurochemical, pathophysiological or electrophysiological perspectives, dreaming reveals itself to be a complex cognitive state affected by a wide variety of medical, psychological, sleep and social variables.