Dream Recall, Dream Length, and Sleep Duration: State or Trait Factor
Michael Schredl, Iris Reinhard
Perceptual and Motor Skills April 1, 2008 DOI: 10.2466/pms.106.2.633-636 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 444 |
| Population | Participants who kept sleep diaries |
| Duration | 14 days |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Both intra-individual fluctuations and interindividual differences in sleep duration affect dream recall frequency. |
Abstract
Longer sleep duration should be related to dream recall (longer REM sleep), but previous findings regarding the relationship between habitual sleep duration and dream recall frequency have been conflicting, whereas experimental manipulation of sleep duration yielded a significant effect. The analysis of diaries kept by the 444 participants over 14 days indicated that intra-individual fluctuations and interindividual differences in sleep duration affect dream recall.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years | 2002 | Prospective observational study | n = 116 |
| Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... | 1987 | Case-control study | n = 11 |
| The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 147 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 19
- Dreaming and the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey in a U.S. sample. Dreaming September 1, 2020
- Dream content analysis: Basic principles heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2010
- Lucid Dreaming and the Feeling of Being Refreshed in the Morning: A Diary Study. Clocks & Sleep March 1, 2020
- How Awakenings Shape Dream Recall: A Multilevel Study bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) May 22, 2026
- The route to recall a dream: theoretical considerations and methodological implications. Psychological Research June 1, 2023
and 14 more in the library
Cites 5
- Questionnaires and diaries as research instruments in dream research: Methodological issues. Dreaming March 1, 2002
- Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors Imagination, Cognition and Personality October 1, 1996
- Dream Recall and Sleep Duration: State or Trait Factor Perceptual and Motor Skills October 1, 2005
- Dream Recall and Content in Long and Short Sleepers Perceptual and Motor Skills August 1, 1972
- Dream Recall and Content following Extended Sleep Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1970