1187 At What Frequency Do Nightmares Effect Suicide
Ainsley Pickering, Emma Angle, Victoria West Staples, Westley Youngren
Sleep May 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsaf090.1187 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional survey Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 117 |
| Population | Adults recruited through an anonymous online survey |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Nightmares occurring several times a month and several times a week each predicted cognitions related to suicide, whereas nightmares several times a year did not. Monthly frequency accounted for 8.4% and weekly frequency 6.8% of the variance, leading the authors to propose that monthly nightmares may be the point at which nightmare frequency begins to affect suicide risk. |
Abstract
A robust body of research has linked nightmares to suicide. For example, research has found that nightmares predict suicidal ideation above and beyond other mental health symptoms (such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder) and that treating nightmares may indirectly decrease the risk of suicide. Considering the established link between nightmares and suicide, our goal was to further extend the literature by examining at what frequency do nightmares become related to suicide. Data were collected through an online survey distributed anonymously to our participants. Embedded within the survey were measures of nightmare frequency and cognitions related to suicide. After examining the data for validity, and removing outliers, our final sample size was N = 117. Bivariate linear regression analyses were used to explore the relationship between nightmare frequency and cognitions related to suicide. Experiencing nightmares several times a month (𝛽 = 6.20, p < 0.01) and several times a week (𝛽 = 5.75, p < 0.05) both significantly predicted cognitions related to suicide. In contrast, experiencing nightmares several times a year did not significantly predict cognitions related to suicide (𝛽 = 2.12, p = 0.32). Weekly frequency accounted for 6.8% of the variance in cognitions related to suicide while monthly frequency accounted for 8.4% of the variance in cognitions related to suicide. Our results revealed that experiencing nightmares at weekly or monthly rate were both predictive of cognitions related to suicide, while experiencing nightmares a few times a year was not predictive of cognitions related to suicide. Of note, monthly nightmares appeared to explain the most variance in cognitions related to suicide. Overall, our results highlight that experiencing nightmares at a monthly basis may be the tipping point for when nightmares begin to impact the risk for suicide. However, our data was cross-sectional, which impacts our ability to establish a true temporal relationship. Future research should utilize longitudinal methods to further explore at what frequency do nightmares become a risk factor for suicide. n/a
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 583 |
| Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese adults from the community, mean age 40.9 years (SD 5.5,... | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey with subsequent clinical evaluation (two-phase design) | n = 8,558 |
| Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Adults (general population sample) | 2003 | Cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling | n = 444 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Representative sample of German adults | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 919 |