Nightmare frequency in last trimester of pregnancy.
Michael Schredl, Maria Gilles, Isabell Wolf, Verena Peus, Barbara Scharnholz, Marc Sütterlin, Michael Deuschle
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth November 9, 2016 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-016-1147-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 406 |
| Population | Pregnant women aged 16-40 in their last trimester |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Nightmares Pregnancy Stress |
| Key findings | Pregnant women report nightmares more often than a representative sample, and nightmare frequency is closely related to subjectively experienced daytime stress. |
Abstract
Pregnancy-related dreams are often found in pregnant women but also the number of negatively toned dreams seems to be increased in this challenging phase of a woman's life. Nightmare frequency and subjectively experienced stress was elicited via questionnaires. The mothers-to-be were approached during their application visit about 4-8 weeks prior to delivery in three obstetric hospitals. The present analysis included 406 women aged 16-40 years in the last trimester of their pregnancy. Women with severe somatic illnesses and/or psychiatric disorders were excluded. The representative sample included 496 women (age range: 14-93 years.). The findings clearly indicate that pregnant women report nightmares more often compared to a representative sample and that nightmare frequency is closely related to subjectively experienced stress during daytime. Moreover, baby-related dreams were correlated with nightmare frequency but not with day-time stress. Future studies should investigate the prevalence of nightmare disorders in pregnancy and study whether brief interventions like Imagery Rehearsal Therapy are beneficial for pregnant women suffering from nightmares.
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
Cited by 7
- The association between dream activity and alexithymia during pregnancy: A cross-sectional study in a sample of pregnant women. Journal of Sleep Research August 1, 2025
- Dreams and Nightmares in Early Pregnancy: A Comparative Study with a Control Group. Nature and Science of Sleep 2025
- Dreaming for two: A systematic review of mental sleep activity during pregnancy. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews August 1, 2024
- Parasomnias in Pregnancy. Brain Sciences February 18, 2023
- Dream enactment behavior: review for the clinician Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine August 3, 2020
and 2 more in the library
Cites 11
- The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Journal of Sleep Research May 26, 2004
- Measuring nightmare and bad dream frequency: impact of retrospective and prospective instruments Journal of Sleep Research May 13, 2008
- Nightmare frequency in a representative German sample University Library Heidelberg 2013
- Comparing questionnaire and diary measures for eliciting nightmare frequency University Library Heidelberg 2015
- Disturbed dreaming during the third trimester of pregnancy. Sleep Medicine June 1, 2014
and 6 more in the library