Dreaming during anaesthesia in adult patients.
Kate Leslie, Hannah Skrzypek
Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology September 2007 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpa.2007.05.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Dreaming during anaesthesia is reported by roughly 22% of patients interviewed immediately after anaesthesia and about 6% interviewed later. A minority of dreams involving sensory perceptions indicate near-miss awareness and may be preventable with depth-of-anaesthesia monitoring. Most dreaming occurs in younger, fitter patients with high home dream recall receiving propofol-based anaesthesia, and these dreams are usually short, pleasant, unrelated to inadequate anaesthesia, and probably occur during recovery. |
Abstract
Dreaming during anaesthesia is defined as any recalled experience (excluding awareness) that occurred between induction of anaesthesia and the first moment of consciousness upon emergence. Dreaming is a commonly-reported side-effect of anaesthesia. The incidence is higher in patients who are interviewed immediately after anaesthesia (approximately 22%) than in those who are interviewed later (approximately 6%). A minority of dreams, which include sensory perceptions obtained during anaesthesia, provide evidence of near-miss awareness. These patients may have risk factors for awareness and this type of dreaming may be prevented by depth of anaesthesia monitoring. Most dreaming however, occurs in younger, fitter patients, who have high home dream recall, who receive propofol-based anaesthesia and who emerge rapidly from anaesthesia. Their dreams are usually short and pleasant, are related to work, family and recreation, are not related to inadequate anaesthesia and probably occur during recovery. Dreaming is a common, fascinating, usually pleasant and harmless phenomenon.
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 9
- Dreaming During Anesthesia and Sedation Anesthesia & Analgesia April 23, 2011
- Dreams and ability to recall: Comparison between propofol and ketamine in patients undergoing surgery under IVA Medical Journal of Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences June 4, 2018
- Feasibility of a Multicomponent Protocol to Promote Dreaming during Surgical Anesthesia Anesthesiology February 3, 2026
- Incidence, Associated Factors, and Behavioral Consequences of Intraoperative Awareness and Dreams During General Anesthesia Among Adult Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study Cureus June 1, 2024
- On no man's land: Subjective experiences during unresponsive and responsive sedative states induced by four different anesthetic agents. Consciousness and Cognition November 1, 2021
and 4 more in the library
Cites 8
- Use and efficacy of low-dose ketamine in the management of acute postoperative pain: a review of current techniques and outcomes Pain August 1, 1999
- Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Journal of Sleep Research May 12, 2003
- Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors Imagination, Cognition and Personality October 1, 1996
- Dream recall frequency, attitude towards dreams and openness to experience. Dreaming September 1, 2003
- Dreaming during anesthesia and anesthetic depth in elective surgery patients: a prospective cohort study. Anesthesiology January 2007
and 3 more in the library