Dreaming and health promotion: A theoretical proposal and some epidemiological establishments
Róbert Bódizs, Péter Simor, Szilvia Csóka, Márk Bérdi, Mária S Kopp
European Journal of Mental Health June 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1556/ejmh.3.2008.1.3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants in the Hungarostudy epidemiological database |
| Measures | Dream Quality Questionnaire, well-being scale of the World Health Organization (WHO) |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 31 |
| Key findings | Negative dream emotions negatively predict health, while positive dream emotions positively predict health, with the strongest associations for well-being. This effect is only partially explained by illness intrusiveness and the effect of dreams on daytime mood. |
Abstract
Both neurobiological and cognitive psychological evidence suggests that dreams reflect the affective concerns and emotional balance of the dreamer. Moreover, there is increasing evidence for the thesis that dreams take part in the process of emotional regulation by creating narrative structures and new associations for memories with emotional and personal relevance and giving birth to a reduced emotional arousal or balanced mood state during post-dreaming wakefulness. As health means a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, it is reasonable to assume that it is reflected in the quality of dream experiences. These theoretical considerations are exemplified by significant associations between dream emotions and health indexes emerging after the preliminary analysis of the Hungarostudy epidemiological database. Results suggest that items of the Dream Quality Questionnaire correlate with self-rated health, days spent on sick leave and most prominently with well-being. Negative dream emotions are negative predictors of health, while the opposite is true for positive ones. This effect is only partially explained by the illness intrusiveness index, the effect of dreams on daytime mood or well-being as measured by the well-being scale of the World Health Organization (WHO). Our results indicate that simple practical questions regarding habitual dream-affect, nightmares and nightterror-like symptoms convey information on the general mental and physical health of the subjects, which could be useful in medical practice.
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 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 18
- Nightmares and bad dreams in patients with borderline personality disorder: Fantasy as a coping skill? The European Journal of Psychiatry March 1, 2010
- Fever Dreams: An Online Study Frontiers in Psychology January 28, 2020
- Health dreams, health-related worries, and being ill: A questionnaire study University Library Heidelberg 2016
- The relationship between dream contents and quality of life Mentálhigiéné és Pszichoszomatika December 1, 2011
- High dream recall frequency: A sign of good quality of life? Mentálhigiéné és Pszichoszomatika August 19, 2011
and 13 more in the library
Cites 9
- The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Journal of Sleep Research May 26, 2004
- A new neurocognitive theory of dreams. Dreaming March 1, 2001
- Dream content and psychological well-being: A longitudinal study of the continuity hypothesis Journal of Clinical Psychology 2005
- Clinical management of chronic nightmares: imagery rehearsal therapy. Behavioral Sleep Medicine 2006
- Reliability and Stability of a Dream Recall Frequency Scale Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 2004
and 4 more in the library