The association between serum lipid metabolism and nightmares: insights from Mendelian randomization analysis of two samples
Shupeng Chen, Nana Tang, Guilian He, Yingjian Zeng
Nutrición Hospitalaria 2026 DOI: 10.20960/nh.05678 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key points | The authors report that higher HDL and LDL triglyceride levels and a higher triglycerides-to-total-lipids ratio in medium HDL were associated with reduced nightmare risk, whereas a higher free-cholesterol-to-total-lipids ratio in medium LDL was associated with increased risk. They argue that lipid metabolism has a causal relationship with nightmares and that regulating it may reduce nightmare prevalence. |
Abstract
Background: nightmares are a common sleep disorder characterized by distressing dreams, leading to sleep disruption and psychological distress. Emerging evidence suggests a potential link between lipid metabolism and nightmare occurrence, but the causal relationship is poorly understood.
Objective: to investigate the causal relationship between blood lipid metabolism characteristics and the risk of nightmares using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.
Methods: a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted using data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The analysis focused on specific lipid metabolism traits, including triglyceride levels in HDL and LDL, the triglycerides to total lipids ratio in medium HDL, and the free cholesterol to total lipids ratio in medium LDL. The inverse variance weighting (IVW) method was used as the primary analytical approach, with supplementary analyses conducted using MR-Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode methods.
Results: the study identified that higher triglyceride levels in HDL (OR = 0.40, 95 % CI: 0.16-0.98, p = 0.04) and LDL (OR = 0.24, 95 % CI: 0.10-0.57, p = 0.001), as well as a higher triglycerides to total lipids ratio in medium HDL (OR = 0.38, 95 % CI: 0.15-0.95, p = 0.04), were protective against the occurrence of nightmares. In contrast, a higher free cholesterol to total lipids ratio in medium LDL was associated with an increased risk of nightmares (OR = 3.14, 95 % CI: 1.29-7.67, p = 0.01).
Conclusion: lipid metabolism characteristics have a causal relationship with nightmare risk. Proper regulation of lipid metabolism may help reduce nightmare prevalence, particularly in vulnerable populations. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and explore underlying mechanisms.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficacy of a Cognitive‐Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia and Nightmares in Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans With PTSD Combat veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and/or Operation Iraqi Freedom (mean age... | 2013 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Lucid Dreaming Treatment for Nightmares: A Pilot Study Chronic nightmare sufferers | 2006 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 23 |
| Testing the involvement of the prefrontal cortex in lucid dreaming: A tDCS study Participants spending three consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory | 2013 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 19 |
| Pre-sleep treatment with galantamine stimulates lucid dreaming: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study Adults with high dream recall and an interest in lucid dreaming | 2018 | Randomized crossover trial | n = 121 |
| Studies with lucid dreaming as add-on therapy to Gestalt therapy Adults with nightmares (ICD-10: F51.5) at least twice a week | 2015 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 32 |