Dreams and dreaming among the elderly: An overview
Arthur Funkhouser, Hans-Peter Hirsbrunner, Claude M. Cornu, Marcel Bahro
Aging & Mental Health February 1, 1999 DOI: 10.1080/13607869956398 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | People over 65 years of age |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 29 |
| Key findings | Argues that while dream recall frequency declines with age in both men and women, the main decrease occurs in early middle age and is therefore unlikely to reflect aging effects. Findings on dream tone, active/passive stance, and typical dream themes are reported as less conclusive. |
Abstract
This paper reviews past and current research into the dreams and dreaming of people over 65 years of age. Recent studies have shown, for example, that frequency of dream recall declines with age in both men and women, but that the main decrease occurs in early middle age and is thus unlikely to be connected with aging effects.The results of studies having to do with dream tone, active/passive stance and typical dream themes are less conclusive.This paper also surveys the attitudes toward dreams one encounters among the elderly, the temporal references in their dreams and the use of dreams in the psychotherapy of aged and aging persons and concludes by considering the dreams of those at the end of their life.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming | 2019 | Review | |
| Sleep and dreaming are for important matters | 2013 | Review | |
| Nightmare Disorder and Isolated Sleep Paralysis | 2020 | Review | |
| My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? | 2019 | Review | |
| Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors | 1996 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- Spotlight on dream recall: the ages of dreams Nature and Science of Sleep 2018
- Dreaming in Adolescents During the COVID-19 Health Crisis: Survey Among a Sample of European School Students Frontiers in Psychology April 20, 2021
- 'I love you': the first phrase detected from dreams. Sleep Science 2022
- Ontogenetic and Gender Dimensions in a Normative Study of the Dreams of Canadians uO Research 2017
- Circadian and ultradian NREM-REM sleep modulation of dream recall : effects of age and spectral activity edoc (University of Basel) 2011
and 8 more in the library
Cites 8
- Age changes in dream recall in adulthood. Dreaming March 1, 1996
- Aging and Memory for Dreams Perceptual and Motor Skills October 1, 1991
- How Often Do Adults Recall Their Dreams? The International Journal of Aging and Human Development June 1, 1984
- A Comparison of the Emotional Content of Dreams Recalled by Young and Elderly Women The Journal of Psychology 1984
- Age Differences in Dreams. II: Distortion and other Variables The International Journal of Aging and Human Development July 1, 1981
and 3 more in the library