Dream Recall and Content following Extended Sleep
Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1970 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1970.30.3.987 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractExtended sleep leads to more dream recall and dreams that are more closely tied to waking life. In two studies with 22 participants, people reported significantly more dreams after sleeping longer than after a normal 8-hour night. The dreams after extended sleep also contained a greater proportion of familiar characters, suggesting they relate more to daily experiences.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | Human participants |
| Key finding | Extended sleep increases dream recall and produces dreams with more familiar characters than normal sleep. |
Abstract
Dream recall and content following normal 8-hr. nights of sleep and nights of extended sleep was collected from 22 Ss in two separate studies. The total number of dreams reported subsequent to extended sleep was significantly higher than after nights of normal sleep ( p < .01). Dreams reported following extended sleep contained a significantly greater proportion of familiar characters than dreams recalled after regular nights of sleep ( p < .02). The results indicate that extended sleep is more favorable for dream recall than nights of normal sleep and dreams reported following extended sleep are more closely related to waking life than dreams recalled after nights of regular sleep.