Nightmare Distress and Dream Recall in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Yu-Jin Kang, Su-Hyun Han
Journal of Sleep Medicine December 31, 2023 DOI: 10.13078/jsm.230022 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adult patients with newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea confirmed by polysomnography |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Depression, anxiety, and poor sleep quality were related to nightmare distress, while younger age and anxiety were associated with dream recall; OSA severity and REM-dependent OSA were not significantly associated with either. |
Abstract
Objectives: We aimed to examine dream recall and nightmare distress in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and identify the associating factors.Methods: This cross-sectional study retrospectively enrolled adult participants (age ≥18 years) with newly diagnosed OSA that was confirmed by full-night polysomnography between 2016 and 2022. Dreaming components were assessed using a nine-item dreaming questionnaire (nightmare distress and dream recall). We compared the clinical and polysomnographic findings according to OSA severity and the presence of rapid eye movement (REM)-dependent OSA. Additionally, we assessed factors that related to nightmare distress and dream recall in patients with OSA.Results: Patients with mild OSA had significantly higher nightmare distress than those with moderate to severe OSA (p=0.044). Univariate linear regression analysis showed negative correlations between the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and nightmare distress (β=-0.105; p=0.040). Conversely, multivariate analyses indicated that the AHI and the presence of REM-dependent OSA were not significantly associated with nightmare distress and dream recall. Wakefulness after sleep onset (β=0.083; p=0.066), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (β=0.271; p<0.001), the Beck Depression Inventory (β=0.242; p<0.001), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State (STAI-S) (β=0.123; p=0.047) were related to nightmare distress. In contrast, younger age (β=-0.144; p=0.004), PSQI (β=0.098; p=0.058), STAI-S (β=0.156; p=0.003) were associated with dream recall.Conclusions: Depression, anxiety, and poor sleep quality were related to nightmare distress, while younger age and anxiety were associated with dream recall. OSA severity and the presence of REM-dependent OSA were not significantly associated with nightmare distress or dream recall.
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 8
- Dreaming correlates of alexithymia among sleep-disordered patients. Dreaming March 1, 2011
- Dreams and nightmares in healthy adults and in patients with sleep and neurological disorders. Lancet Neurology October 1, 2020
- Dreams and Nightmares in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Review. Frontiers in Neurology 2019
- Dream Content in Patients With Sleep Apnea: A Prospective Sleep Laboratory Study. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine January 15, 2018
- Dreams in patients with sleep disorders. Sleep Medicine Reviews June 1, 2009
and 3 more in the library