Do REM (lucid) dreamed and executed actions share the same neural substrate?

This paper addresses the correlation of dreamed and actual actions. This issue is related to the theory of neural simulation of action. The simulation theory postulates that, in general, covert actions are actual actions relying on the same brain regions, except for the fact that they are not executed. By reviewing studies conducted in the field of dream and lucid dream research on REM sleep it will be shown that correlations between dreamed and actual actions can be found for central nervous activity, autonomic responses and time aspects. Recent findings from research on lucid dreaming and motor learning further support the notion that actions in dreams are represented on higher cognitive levels - equivalent to actual movements - and therefore share, to some extent, the same central structures. The reviewed findings will be discussed and future directions will be given

Induction of lucid dreams: A systematic review of evidence

In lucid dreams the dreamer is aware of dreaming and often able to influence the ongoing dream content. Lucid dreaming is a learnable skill and a variety of techniques is suggested for lucid dreaming induction. This systematic review evaluated the evidence for the effectiveness of induction techniques. A comprehensive literature search was carried out in biomedical databases and specific resources. Thirty-five studies were included in the analysis (11 sleep laboratory and 24 field studies), of which 26 employed cognitive techniques, 11 external stimulation and one drug application. The methodological quality of the included studies was relatively low. None of the induction techniques were verified to induce lucid dreams reliably and consistently, although some of them look promising. On the basis of the reviewed studies, a taxonomy of lucid dream induction methods is presented. Several methodological issues are discussed and further directions for future studies are proposed

Continuity Between Waking Life and Dreaming: A Research Note and Study in Adolescents

A vast number of empirical findings support the continuity hypothesis of dreaming. Interestingly, research on that topic in adolescents is scarce. In a sample of 100 adolescents (50 female, 50 male) with a mean age 15.30 ± 0.80 years, it was found that for all six topics (watching TV, video gaming, social media use, engage in hobbies, caring for pets, and spending time with the partner), dream percentages of a specific topic was higher if the adolescents spent more time with this activity in waking life. Partner dreams and social media dreams were more frequent compared to adults, stressing the importance these issues have for adolescents. Future research can help to understand the well-being of adolescents by analyzing the emotional quality and content of their dreams

Nightmares, chronotype, urbanicity, and personality: an online study

Chronotype refers to individual differences in sleep timing (“owls” and “larks”) and “eveningness” has been associated with nightmares. However, it has not been tested as to whether neuroticism mediates this relationship. Urbanicity refers to being raised in an urban region and/or currently living in an urban region and is associated with heightened risk for developing mental disorders, and thus might be related to nightmare frequency and nightmare distress. Overall, 2492 persons (1437 women, 1055 men) completed an online survey between 23 March 2015 and 8 April 2015. The mean age of the sample was 47.75 ± 14.41 years. The findings indicate that the previously reported relationship between chronotype and nightmare frequency was mediated by neuroticism and “morningness” was related to higher dream recall compared to persons with a late bedtime preference. Urbanicity was not related to nightmare frequency but to lower nightmare distress, raising the interesting question as to whether beliefs about nightmares might be an important variable that contributes to nightmare distress. Based on the few studies so far, there are still many unresolved questions about the interaction between nightmares, chronotype, and urbanicity

Nightmares in Swiss elite athletes: Associated factors.

Nightmares, defined as extremely dysphoric dreams, can cause significant distress in everyday life if they occur frequently. Their aetiology is based on a disposition-stress model. As elite athletes often experience high stress levels, the present study investigated factors that might be associated with nightmare frequency in a large cohort of 2297 Swiss elite athletes (1066 women, 1231 men) with a mean age of 22.05 ± 7.53 years. In total, about 6% of the athletes reported frequent nightmares (once a week or more often). We found that well-established factors like female gender and general stress levels were related to nightmare frequency. To a smaller extent, the number of training hours, lost training days due to illness, and having early training sessions were also associated with nightmare frequency. Sport discipline was not related to nightmare frequency. An unexpected finding was the association between late alcohol intake 4 hr prior to bedtime and nightmare frequency. Our findings support the idea that stress related to practicing sports might affect nightmare frequency. Future research should study whether inventions designed for athletes suffering from frequent nightmares are beneficial for them and might even improve their athletic performance

Schlaf und Wettkämpfe bei jungen AthletInnen

Background Sleep plays an important role for athletes, especially before competitions. Objectives In a sample of young athletes, the prevalence of disturbed sleep was determined. In addition, the subjective causes and effects of disturbed sleep before competitions were studied. Materials and method Overall, 46 students at the sports high school in Tenero, Switzerland, completed an online questionnaire. Results Over two-thirds of young athletes reported poorer sleep before important competitions or games. Of these athletes, 40% of these athletes stated that poor sleep before competitions/games affected their performance. Discussion From a subjective point of view, since poor sleep can impair performance in competitions, it is important to intensify research into this topic (experimental studies) and to develop sleep interventions for this target group.Hintergrund Schlaf spielt auch für SportlerInnen eine wichtige Rolle, vor allem vor Wettkämpfen. Ziel der Arbeit In einer Stichprobe von NachwuchsathletInnen soll erfasst werden, ob ein gestörter Schlaf vorliegt und welche Ursachen und Auswirkungen ein gestörter Schlaf vor Wettkämpfen aus subjektiver Sicht hat. Material und Methode Mittels eines Online-Fragebogens wurden 46 SchülerInnen eines Sportgymnasiums (Tenero, Schweiz) befragt. Ergebnisse Über zwei Drittel der jugendlichen Athletinnen berichten über einen schlechteren Schlaf vor wichtigen Wettkämpfen oder Spielen. 40 % dieser AthletInnen gaben an, dass der schlechte Schlaf vor dem Wettkampf/Spiel ihre Leistung beeinträchtigt hat. Diskussion Da aus subjektiver Sicht schlechter Schlaf die Wettkampfleistungen beeinträchtigen kann, ist es sinnvoll, dieses Thema intensiver zu beforschen (kontrollierte Studien) und Schlafinterventionen für diese Zielgruppe zu entwickeln

Nightmares affect the experience of sleep quality but not sleep architecture: an ambulatory polysomnographic study

Background: Nightmares and bad dreams are common in people with emotional disturbances. For example, nightmares are a core symptom in posttraumatic stress disorder and about 50% of borderline personality disorder patients suffer from frequent nightmares. Independent of mental disorders, nightmares are often associated with sleep problems such as prolonged sleep latencies, poorer sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness. It has not been well documented whether this is reflected in objectively quantifiable physiological indices of sleep quality. Methods: Questionnaires regarding subjective sleep quality and ambulatory polysomnographic recordings of objective sleep parameters were collected during three consecutive nights in 17 individuals with frequent nightmares (NM) and 17 healthy control participants (HC). Results: NM participants reported worse sleep quality, more waking problems and more severe insomnia compared to HC group. However, sleep measures obtained by ambulatory polysomnographic recordings revealed no group differences in (a) overall sleep architecture, (b) sleep cycle duration as well as REM density and REM duration in each cycle and (c) sleep architecture when only nights with nightmares were analyzed. Conclusions: Our findings support the observation that nightmares result in significant impairment which is independent from disturbed sleep architecture. Thus, these specific problems require specific attention and appropriate treatment

Gender Differences in the Dream Content of Children and Adolescents: The UK Library Study

While gender differences in the dreams of adults have been studied extensively, large-scale studies in children and adolescents are relatively scarce. The UK Library study collected 1995 most recent dreams of children and adolescents. Boys reported more physical aggression and less female characters in their dreams, whereas indoor settings were more prominent in girls’ dreams – results that are consistent with the findings in adults and the continuity hypothesis of dreaming. The study indicates that dream content analysis is a valuable tool for studying the inner world of children and adolescents as dreams reflect their waking life experiences, thoughts, and concerns. It would be informative to include measures of waking-life aggression, frequency of social contacts and leisure time activities in order to provide evidence for direct links between waking and dreaming