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Variety and intensity of emotions in nightmares and bad dreams.

Antonio Zadra, Mathieu Pilon, Don C Donderi

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease April 1, 2006 DOI: 10.1097/01.nmd.0000207359.46223.dc (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational study using dream logs Peer reviewed
Sample size 90
Population Adults who recorded their dreams over four consecutive weeks
Duration 4 consecutive weeks of dream recording
Measures 9-point emotion intensity scale, dream logs
Topics Dreaming
Keywords Humans Night terrors Diagnosis, differential Records Emotions Fear Dreams Mental recall Wakefulness Models, psychological Adult Female Terminology as topic Surveys and questionnaires
Key findings Nightmares, defined by awakening the sleeper, were rated significantly more intense than bad dreams. Fear was not the sole emotion: 30% of nightmares and 51% of bad dreams contained primary emotions other than fear. The authors argue that awakening can serve as an indirect measure of nightmare intensity and that this raises implications for the operational definition of nightmares.

Abstract

Nightmares are usually defined as frightening dreams that awaken the sleeper. This study uses the waking criterion to distinguish between nightmares and bad dreams and investigated the variety and intensity of emotions reported in each form of disturbing dream. Ninety participants recorded their dreams for 4 consecutive weeks and, for each dream recalled, noted the emotions present and their intensities on a 9-point scale. Thirty-six participants reported at least one nightmare and one bad dream over the 4 weeks covered by the log, while 29 reported having had at least one bad dream but no nightmares. Nightmares were rated as being significantly (p < 0.001) more intense than bad dreams. Thirty percent of nightmares and 51% of bad dreams contained primary emotions other than fear. The findings support the claim that awakening can serve as an indirect measure of nightmare intensity and raise important implications for the operational definition of nightmares.

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
The prevalence of nightmares and their independence from anxiety. Undergraduates 1990 Observational study using daily dream logs n = 220

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