Dream recall frequency and sleep quality of patients with restless legs syndrome
European Journal of Neurology March 1, 2001 DOI: 10.1046/j.1468-1331.2001.00203.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with restless legs syndrome and healthy controls |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Dream recall frequency did not differ between patients and controls, but was negatively associated with the number of periodic leg movements with arousal. Subjective sleep parameters were related to dream recall in controls but not in patients, except for a positive correlation with sleep latency. |
Abstract
The present study investigated the dream recall frequency and the pattern of influencing factors of patients with restless legs syndrome in comparison with healthy controls. The patients’ dream recall frequency did not differ from that of healthy controls. Dream recall, however, was negatively associated with the number of periodic leg movements with arousal (PLMAI). Subjective estimates of sleep quality or feeling of being refreshed in the morning, on the other hand, did not correlate with the PLMAI index. Whereas subjective sleep parameters were related to dream recall frequency in healthy controls, no substantial relationships were found in the patient group, except for the positive correlation between sleep latency and dream recall frequency. The results of the present study can not be interpreted as clear evidence for the arousal–retrieval model of dream recall; it seems plausible that other factors, e.g. the functional state of the brain, are of importance in explaining dream recall in this patient group.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- 'I love you': the first phrase detected from dreams. Sleep Science 2022
- Sleep Problems and the Phenomenological Factors of Dreaming Sleep and Hypnosis March 3, 2016
- Dreaming: a neurological view Schweizer Archiv für Neurologie und Psychiatrie December 7, 2005
- Changes in dream features across the first and second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. Journal of Sleep Research February 1, 2022
- Methodological Recommendations to Control for Factors Influencing Dream and Nightmare Recall in Clinical and Experimental Studies of Dreaming. Frontiers in Neurology 2020
and 5 more in the library
Cites 3
- Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors Imagination, Cognition and Personality October 1, 1996
- Dream content in patients with narcolepsy: Preliminary findings. Dreaming June 1, 1998
- Dreaming and insomnia: Dream recall and dream content of patients with insomnia Journal of Sleep Research September 1, 1998