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
Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie May 1, 2005 DOI: 10.1177/070674370505000613 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople with nightmare disorder tend to have lower blood levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) compared to healthy individuals. The study compared 15 people diagnosed with nightmare disorder to 15 healthy controls, measuring their lipid profiles through blood tests. The findings suggest a link between nightmares and low serum lipid levels.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for nightmare disorder and healthy control subjects |
| Key finding | 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.