Nightmares and serum cholesterol level: a preliminary report.
Mehmet Yucel Agargun, Mustafa Gulec, Ali Savas Cilli, Hayrettin Kara, Ramazan Sekeroglu, Haluk Dulger, Lutfullah Besiroglu, Rifat Inci
The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry May 1, 2005 DOI: 10.1177/070674370505000613 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for nightmare disorder and healthy control subjects |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Patients with nightmare disorder had lower serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL levels than healthy control subjects. |
Abstract
To examine whether there is a relation between nightmares and serum lipid levels. Fifteen subjects who met DSM-IV criteria for the diagnosis of nightmare disorder and 15 healthy control subjects participated in the study. We used an enzymatic colorimetric method for cholesterol and triglyceride determination. We measured high-density lipoprotien (HDL) cholesterol using the direct HDL-cholesterol method. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was calculated according to the Friedewald formula. Patients with nightmare disorder had lower serum triglyceride, lower total cholesterol, and lower LDL levels than healthy control subjects. These findings suggest that nightmares are associated with low serum lipid levels.
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 |
| The prevalence of nightmares and their independence from anxiety. Undergraduates | 1990 | Observational study using daily dream logs | n = 220 |