Is a fear of death keeping you awake at night? Death anxiety predicts insomnia through nightmare severity
Rachel E. Menzies, Jessie Brown, Mitchell Turner, David Cunnington, Malisa Burge, Ian C. Dunican, Hailey Meaklim
Death Studies July 2, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2026.2693544 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 515 |
| Population | Adults, 70% female, 89% residing in Australia |
| Topics | Anxiety Dreaming |
| Keywords | Insomnia Death anxiety Fear of death Sleep system call Clinical psychology Medline |
| Key findings | Death anxiety was positively related to insomnia, and nightmare severity mediated this relationship. |
Abstract
The fear of death (death anxiety) is a risk factor for various mental health conditions. Death anxiety has been theorized to elicit physiological arousal and worry and is empirically associated with attachment insecurity, each of which has been linked to disrupted sleep. However, limited research has explored the relationship between death anxiety, nightmares and insomnia. We examined the relationship between death anxiety and insomnia, as well as attachment style as a potential moderator, and nightmare severity as a possible mediator. Five hundred and fifteen adults completed an online survey; 70% were female, and 89% resided in Australia. Regression analyses revealed that death anxiety was positively related to insomnia, with no significant moderation by attachment style. Analyses using Hayes' PROCESS macro revealed that nightmare severity mediated this relationship. These findings suggest that death anxiety may play a greater role in insomnia than previously considered and may be an important intervention target.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 583 |
| Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese adults from the community, mean age 40.9 years (SD 5.5,... | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey with subsequent clinical evaluation (two-phase design) | n = 8,558 |
| Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Adults (general population sample) | 2003 | Cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling | n = 444 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Representative sample of German adults | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 919 |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives Journal of Sleep Research January 29, 2019
- The relationships between insomnia, nightmares, and dreams: A systematic review Sleep Medicine Reviews April 16, 2024
- Reduced death anxiety as a mediator of the relationship between acute subjective effects of psychedelics and improved subjective well-being Death Studies February 2, 2023
- Fear of Death and Nightmare Experiences Psychological Reports October 1, 1969
- Strange themes in pandemic dreams: Insomnia was associated with more negative, anxious and death‐related dreams during the COVID‐19 pandemic Journal of Sleep Research June 14, 2022
and 2 more in the library