Dream anxiety is an emotional trigger for acute myocardial infarction.
Yavuz Selvi, Adem Aydin, Hasan Ali Gumrukcuoglu, Mustafa Gulec, Lutfullah Besiroglu, Pinar G Ozdemir, Sultan Kilic
Psychosomatics 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.psym.2011.04.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational comparative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 219 |
| Population | Patients admitted to a coronary care unit with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) |
| Duration | 1-month interval before AMI assessed retrospectively |
| Measures | Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Van Dream Anxiety Scale (VDAS) |
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Key findings | Patients whose acute myocardial infarction began during sleep reported significantly poorer subjective sleep quality, higher global PSQI scores, and higher nightmare frequency, dream anxiety, autonomic hyperactivity, daytime anxiety, and psychological problems than patients whose heart attack occurred while awake. The authors suggest that sleep anxiety and related emotions are associated with AMI during sleep. |
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between nightmares and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) occurring during sleep, and also to evaluate the influence of several related factors. The sample comprised AMI patients who had been admitted to the coronary care unit. The patients were grouped into two categories; the asleep-AMI group consisted of 36 patients who had the onset of symptoms of AMI during sleep, and the awake-AMI group included 183 patients who had AMI while they were awake. The sleep quality and dream anxiety for the 1-month interval before AMI were assessed with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Van Dream Anxiety Scale (VDAS), respectively. Asleep-AMI patients reported significantly poorer subjective sleep quality, significantly higher global PSQI scores, and displayed significantly higher nightmare frequency, difficulty in falling asleep after a nightmare, higher autonomic hyperactivity, dream recall frequency, daytime anxiety, psychological problems, and higher global dream anxiety scores than awake-AMI patients. The present study suggests that sleep anxiety and related emotions are associated with AMI during sleep.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Patterning of Cognitive and Somatic Processes in the Self-Regulation of Anxiety: Effects of Meditation versus Exercise Regular practitioners of physical exercise or meditation | 1978 | Retrospective study | n = 77 |
| Dynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems Healthy humans | 2020 | Observational study | |
| Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study Randomly selected United States adults | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 135,095 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Correlates of Sleep-related Disorders, Dream-related Factors, and Nightmares in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients: Severity of Coronary Artery Stenosis, Chest Pain, and Somatic Symptoms Journal of Turkish Sleep Medicine October 5, 2020
- The factor structure, reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Van Dream Anxiety Scale. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment December 21, 2018
Cites 2
- Nightmares and bad dreams in patients with borderline personality disorder: Fantasy as a coping skill? The European Journal of Psychiatry March 1, 2010
- Nightmare disorder, dream anxiety, and subjective sleep quality in patients with borderline personality disorder. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences February 1, 2008