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Daydreams, Nightmares, and Insomnia: The Relation of Waking Fantasy to Sleep Disturbances

Steven Starker

Imagination, Cognition and Personality March 1, 1985 DOI: 10.2190/yava-j6bj-ga7c-cvrk (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational study Peer reviewed
Population College students
Measures Imaginal Processes Inventory (abbreviated form), scales of sleep disturbance, positive mood, and dream recall
Topics Dreaming
Citations 23
Key findings Sleep disturbances were significantly associated with dysphoric daydreaming patterns and not associated with a positive daydreaming pattern, confirming an earlier report by Starker and Hasenfeld. The authors also report sex differences that they suggest may reflect differential sensitivity to inner experience.

Abstract

College students were administered an abbreviated form of the Imaginal Processes Inventory along with scales of sleep disturbance, positive mood, and dream recall. Results confirmed the earlier report by Starker and Hasenfeld that sleep disturbances were significantly associated with dysphoric patterns of daydreaming, and not associated with a positive daydreaming pattern. Correlational, factor-analytic and multiple linear regression analyses revealed sex differences possibly related to differential sensitivity to inner experience.

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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