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Nightmares and oxygen desaturations: is sleep apnea related to heightened nightmare frequency?

Michael Schredl, Judith Schmitt, Gerhard Hein, Tina Schmoll, Sabine Eller, Janina Haaf

Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung December 2006 DOI: 10.1007/s11325-006-0076-8 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational study Peer reviewed
Sample size 323
Population Patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
Topics Dreaming
Key findings Respiratory measures of sleep apnea severity did not correlate substantially with nightmare frequency, and nightmare frequency was reduced in patients with sleep apnea, which the authors attribute to reduced dream recall. The authors conclude that the oxygen hypothesis does not play a major role in explaining nightmares. Psychiatric comorbidity and psychotropic medication use were associated with heightened nightmare frequency.

Abstract

In the 19th century, several authors held the view that nightmares are caused by oxygen shortage. The present study was designed to study nightmare frequency in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and its relationship to respiratory parameters. A brief questionnaire was administered to 323 patients with sleep apnea syndrome before their first laboratory night. The reduction in nightmare frequency in the sleep apnea group was explained by the reduced dream recall frequency. Despite some illustrative examples of a correlation between oxygen desaturation and dream content, the respiratory parameters as measures of sleep apnea syndrome severity did not correlate substantially with nightmare frequency. Psychiatric comorbidity and an intake of psychotropic medication were associated with heightened nightmare frequency in this sample. It must be concluded that the oxygen hypothesis did not play a major role in explaining the occurrence of nightmares. As this might be partly explained by adaptation to the nightly desaturation periods, it will be fruitful to apply experimental procedures that interrupt airflow during (rapid eye movement) REM sleep for short periods in a systematic way without the knowledge of the sleeper and to then study their effects on dream content. Some patients reported a correlation between daytime stressors and nightmares, which is in line with modern etiological models of nightmares.

Comparable studies

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Study Year Design Participants
Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... 2009 Observational study n = 6
Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years 2002 Prospective observational study n = 116
Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... 1987 Case-control study n = 11
The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams 2004 Observational cohort n = 147
Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects 2018 Observational cohort n = 14

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