What physicians need to know about dreams and dreaming.
James F Pagel
Current opinion in pulmonary medicine November 1, 2012 DOI: 10.1097/mcp.0b013e328358bf42 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Dreaming is a complex cognitive state affected by a wide variety of medical, psychological, sleep and social variables, and the relationship between REM sleep and dreaming is poorly defined. |
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.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming | 2019 | Review | |
| Sleep and dreaming are for important matters | 2013 | Review | |
| Nightmare Disorder and Isolated Sleep Paralysis | 2020 | Review | |
| My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? | 2019 | Review | |
| Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors | 1996 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Haunted by Nightmares: Factors Associated with Nightmare Frequency and Experiences Psychology 2025
- Psychological and sociological characteristics of students suffering from nightmares Medical alphabet January 11, 2023
- Nightmares' Pattern and Predictors among a Saudi University Students during COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health February 4, 2022
- Dream Recall/Affect and Cortisol: An Exploratory Study. Clocks & Sleep January 29, 2022
- Dream Recall/Affect and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. Clocks & Sleep July 22, 2021
and 1 more in the library
Cites 4
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- Prevalence of hallucinations and their pathological associations in the general population. Psychiatry Research December 27, 2000
- Acetylcholine and hallucinations: disease-related compared to drug-induced alterations in human consciousness. Brain and Cognition August 1, 1995