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Functional Neurological Disorder, Sleep, and Dreaming: A Large Online Questionnaire-Based Study.

Sichen Yin, Kulveer Ghatora, Tiago Teodoro, Mark J. Edwards, Mahinda Yogarajah, Jan Coebergh

The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 2026 DOI: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.20250092 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed
Sample size 373
Population Adults with self-reported functional neurological disorder
Topics Dreaming
Keywords Dreams Functional neurological disorder Insomnia Nightmares Sleep disturbances
Key findings Poor sleep quality and nightmares are common in FND, with 73% reporting poor sleep and 78% experiencing nightmares weekly. Sleep and dream content appear to influence FND symptoms, as 88% reported worsening around sleep and 74% of those with functional seizures reported seizures during sleep.

Abstract

In this exploratory study, the authors used subjective participant data to investigate sleep disturbance in functional neurological disorder (FND) and its impact on FND symptoms. An online questionnaire was designed in collaboration with FND charities and administered to 373 adult participants with a self-reported FND diagnosis. Most participants (86%) were women, and most (73%) perceived their sleep quality over the past 3 months as poor. Almost all (93%) reported nonpositive dream content, with 78% experiencing nightmares at least once per week. Self-rated bad sleep quality increased by 41 percentage points since the onset of FND, and the frequency of nightmares also significantly increased. Obesity was highly prevalent (44% with a body mass index >30 kg/m²), but formally diagnosed sleep-related breathing disorders were rare (8%). Many participants (46%) noticed symptom improvement after a good night's sleep. Most (88%) reported worsening of functional symptoms when falling asleep, during sleep, or when waking up. About one-quarter noted symptom changes after specific dreams or nightmares, with almost all (97%) reporting negative changes, which were more common among participants reporting poor sleep quality. Moderate rates of sleep paralysis and functional seizure were observed. Among those who experienced functional seizures, 74% reported that they arose during sleep. These findings support the common perception of poor sleep quality, nightmares, and negative dreams among individuals with FND and suggest that self-reported sleep and dream content may also influence FND symptoms. However, the authors recognize a high risk for selection and recall bias.

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

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