Disturbed dreaming and sleep quality: altered sleep architecture in subjects with frequent nightmares

Simor, Péter; Horváth, Klára; Gombos, Ferenc; Takács, Krisztina; Bódizs, Róbert

doi:10.1007/s00406-012-0318-7

Cited by 88 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…There are a number of small studies that have reported variable PSG characteristics in nightmare sufferers. [43][44][45][46][47][48][49] REM-specific abnormalities to include absence of early REM periods, increased REM sleep latency, and increased REM periods, as well as NREM changes to include reduced slow wave sleep, have been reported. 44,46 Other studies note more global changes to include increased sleep latency, sleep fragmentation, nocturnal awakenings, and periodic limb movements.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[43][44][45][46][47][48][49] REM-specific abnormalities to include absence of early REM periods, increased REM sleep latency, and increased REM periods, as well as NREM changes to include reduced slow wave sleep, have been reported. 44,46 Other studies note more global changes to include increased sleep latency, sleep fragmentation, nocturnal awakenings, and periodic limb movements. 41,43,45,46 The most consistent PSG finding is an increase in overnight awakenings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…44,46 Other studies note more global changes to include increased sleep latency, sleep fragmentation, nocturnal awakenings, and periodic limb movements. 41,43,45,46 The most consistent PSG finding is an increase in overnight awakenings. 49,50 Interestingly, when comparing PSG variables in patients with NDO versus TRN, those with TRN had improved SE, decreased WASO, and increased stage N3 sleep.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nightmares in United States Military Personnel With Sleep Disturbances

Creamer

Brock

Matsangas

et al. 2018

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

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Study Objectives: Sleep disturbances are common in United States military personnel. Despite their exposure to combat and trauma, little is known about nightmares in this population. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence and associated clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of nightmares in United States military personnel with sleep disturbances. Methods: Retrospective review of 500 active duty United States military personnel who underwent a sleep medicine evaluation and polysomnography at our sleep center. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Addendum were used to characterize clinically significant nightmares. Subjective and objective sleep attributes were compared between groups. Results: At least weekly nightmares were present in 31.2%; yet, only 3.9% reported nightmares as a reason for evaluation. Trauma-related nightmares occurred in 60% of those patients with nightmares. Patients with nightmares had increased sleep onset latency (SOL) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency (mean SOL/REM sleep latency 16.6/145 minutes, P = .02 and P = .01 respectively) compared to those without (mean SOL/REM sleep latency 12.5/126 minutes I NTRO DUCTI O NNightmares are defined by repeated occurrences of extended, extremely dysphoric, and well-remembered dreams that cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning. 1 Occasional nightmares are part of a normal adaptive response to life stressors and are not pathologic, with 85% of adults reporting at least one nightmare per year. 2 The prevalence of clinically significant nightmares, which occur at least once per week, is estimated between 0.9% and 6.8%. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] In the largest study to date (69,813 adults), the prevalence of nightmares was 3.5% in men and 4.8% in women. 10 Participants from the World War II generation had a significantly higher prevalence of 7.2% in men and 7% in women. Nightmares are more common among patients with sleep disturbances, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder However, most research evaluating sleep disorders in active duty military personnel has focused on insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and PTSD, noting that a recent study focusing on OSA and PTSD did not evaluate nightmares. [18][19][20] Following traumatic experiences, sleep disturbances are frequently reported, including trauma-related nightmares (TRN). 21 The nightmares of trauma survivors tend to be more severe and distressing than idiopathic nightmares. 1,3 Though not exclusive to PTSD, TRN have been referred to as the "hallmark" of this disorder, with rates as high as 90%. 22,23 Addressing nightmares as a distinct sleep disorder following a BRIEF SUMMARY Current Knowledge/Study Rationale: The spectrum of sleep disorders in military personnel is varied and complicated by the presence of comorbidities and psychological disorders. Currently, little is known regarding nightmares, especially trauma-related nig...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Nightmares in United States Military Personnel With Sleep Disturbances

Creamer

Brock

Matsangas

et al. 2018

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

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“…Although questionnaire-based studies have shown that nightmares are related to impaired sleep quality (Lancee, Spoormaker, & van den Bout, 2010;Li, Zhang, Li, & Wing, 2010;Schredl, 2003), and NM participants exhibit significantly worse values on sleep-and health-related indexes (Krakow, 2006), the sleep architecture of NM individuals has scarcely been investigated. After the first inconclusive results (Fisher, Bryne, Edwards, & Kahn, 1970;Germain, & Nielsen, 2003), a recent study (Simor, Horváth, Gombos, Takács, & Bódizs, 2012) found that NM participants are characterized by altered sleep architecture showing impaired sleep continuity and emotion-related increases in REM propensity reflected by reduced sleep efficiency, increased wakefulness, a reduced amount of slow-wave sleep (SWS), and an increased number of nocturnal awakenings, especially from Stage-2 (S2) sleep.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Objective and Subjective Components of the First-Night Effect in Young Nightmare Sufferers and Healthy Participants

Kis

Szakadát

Simor³

et al. 2013

Behavioral Sleep Medicine

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“…Simor et al [6] used polysomnographic recordings to investigate the sleep architecture of 17 individuals with frequent nightmares compared to 23 controls and found reduced sleep efficiency, increased wakefulness, reduced amount of slow wave sleep plus increased nocturnal awakenings, especially from Stage 2 sleep, in nightmare probands. They furthermore exhibited longer durations of REM sleep due to heightened negative affect.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%