Increased Lucid Dreaming Frequency in Narcolepsy

Rak, M; Beitinger, P. A.; Steiger, Axel; Schredl, Michael; Dresler, Martin

doi:10.5665/sleep.4676

Cited by 58 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Furthermore, we did not control for differences in dream recall frequency among the patients, an important methodo logical issue for dream research ( Schredl, 2011 ; Michels et al, 2014 ; Skancke et al, 2014 ), which could perhaps explain the differences in continuity between daily life and dreams, or changes of dream content after change of medication. In addition, we did not control for differences in the frequency of nightmares, which is heightened in S patients ( Okorome Mume, 2009 ; Michels et al, 2014 ; Skancke et al, 2014 ), and may be related with lucidity in pathological conditions ( Rak et al, 2015 ). However, nightmares are by definition associated with unpleasant feelings after waking up, and we found a high frequency of pleasant feelings after waking up from a lucid dream in this sample (58% for S and 91% for B).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosis and the Control of Lucid Dreaming

et al. 2016

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Dreaming and psychosis share important features, such as intrinsic sense perceptions independent of external stimulation, and a general lack of criticism that is associated with reduced frontal cerebral activity. Awareness of dreaming while a dream is happening defines lucid dreaming (LD), a state in which the prefrontal cortex is more active than during regular dreaming. For this reason, LD has been proposed to be potentially therapeutic for psychotic patients. According to this view, psychotic patients would be expected to report LD less frequently, and with lower control ability, than healthy subjects. Furthermore, psychotic patients able to experience LD should present milder psychiatric symptoms, in comparison with psychotic patients unable to experience LD. To test these hypotheses, we investigated LD features (occurrence, control abilities, frequency, and affective valence) and psychiatric symptoms (measure by PANSS, BPRS, and automated speech analysis) in 45 subjects with psychotic symptoms [25 with Schizophrenia (S) and 20 with Bipolar Disorder (B) diagnosis] versus 28 non-psychotic control (C) subjects. Psychotic lucid dreamers reported control of their dreams more frequently (67% of S and 73% of B) than non-psychotic lucid dreamers (only 23% of C; S > C with p = 0.0283, B > C with p = 0.0150). Importantly, there was no clinical advantage for lucid dreamers among psychotic patients, even for the diagnostic question specifically related to lack of judgment and insight. Despite some limitations (e.g., transversal design, large variation of medications), these preliminary results support the notion that LD is associated with psychosis, but falsify the hypotheses that we set out to test. A possible explanation is that psychosis enhances the experience of internal reality in detriment of external reality, and therefore lucid dreamers with psychotic symptoms would be more able to control their internal reality than non-psychotic lucid dreamers. Training dream lucidity is likely to produce safe psychological strengthening in a non-psychotic population, but in a psychotic population LD practice may further empower deliria and hallucinations, giving internal reality the appearance of external reality.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosis and the Control of Lucid Dreaming

et al. 2016

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“…In the case of sleep-related conditions, researchers have linked narcolepsy with changes in dream mentation. Particularly, higher dream recall frequency and lucid dreaming (Dodet et al, 2015;Rak et al, 2015). Recent work has also reported an association between narcolepsy and creativity (Lacaux et al, 2019).…”

Section: Limitations and Suggestions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 94%

Lucid Dreaming, Nightmares, and Sleep Paralysis: Associations With Reality Testing Deficits and Paranormal Experience/Belief

2020

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Focusing on lucid dreaming, this paper examined relationships between dissociated experiences related to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (lucid dreaming, nightmares, and sleep paralysis), reality testing, and paranormal experiences/beliefs. The study comprised a UK-based online sample of 455 respondents (110 males, 345 females, Mean age = 34.46 years, SD = 15.70), who had all previously experienced lucid dreaming. Respondents completed established self-report measures assessing control within lucid dreaming, experience and frequency of nightmares, incidence of sleep paralysis, proneness to reality testing deficits (Inventory of Personality Organization subscale, IPO-RT), subjective experience of receptive psi and life after death (paranormal experience), and paranormal belief. Analysis comprised tests of correlational and predictive relationships between sleep-related outcomes, IPO-RT scores, and paranormal measures. Significant positive correlations between sleep and paranormal measures were weak. Paranormal measures related differentially to sleep indices. Paranormal experience correlated with lucid dreaming, nightmares, and sleep paralysis, whereas paranormal belief related only to nightmares and sleep paralysis. IPO-RT correlated positively with all paranormal and sleep-related measures. Within the IPO-RT, the Auditory and Visual Hallucinations sub-factor demonstrated the strongest positive associations with sleep measures. Structural equation modeling indicated that Auditory and Visual Hallucinations significantly positively predicted dissociated experiences related to REM sleep, while paranormal experience did not. However, paranormal experience was a significant predictor when analysis controlled for Auditory and Visual Hallucinations. The moderate positive association between these variables explained this effect. Findings indicated that self-generated, productive cognitiveprocesses (as encompassed by Auditory and Visual Hallucinations) played a significant role in conscious control and awareness of lucid dreaming, and related dissociative sleep states (sleep paralysis and nightmares).

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“…It is possible to deliberately wake up or to control the dream action or to observe passively the course of the dream with this awareness”). This definition is then usually followed by a question on LD frequency (Schredl and Erlacher, 2004; Erlacher et al, 2008, 2012; Rak et al, 2015). In other studies, questionnaires do not contain a definition of LD and instead, propose a specific question on dream awareness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating on the Methodology Effect When Evaluating Lucid Dream

2016

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Lucid dreaming (LD) is a state of consciousness in which the dreamer is aware that he or she is dreaming and can possibly control the content of his or her dream. To investigate the LD prevalence among different samples, researchers have used different types of methodologies. With regard to retrospective self-report questionnaire, two ways of proceeding seem to emerge. In one case, a definition of LD is given to participants (“During LD, one is–while dreaming–aware of the fact that one is dreaming. It is possible to deliberately wake up, to control the dream action, or to observe passively the course of the dream with this awareness”), while in the other instances, participants are presented separate questions targeting specific LD indicators (dream awareness and dream control). In the present study, we measured LD frequency in a sample of French student in order to investigate for possible disparities in LD frequency depending on the type of questionnaire as outlined above. Moreover, we also study links between the prevalence of LD as assessed, respectively, by each questionnaire with various factors such as Vividness of Mental Imagery and Parasomnia. Results revealed no significant difference between LD frequencies across questionnaires. For the questionnaire with definition (DefQuest), 81.05% of participants reported experience of LD once or more. Concerning the questionnaire based on LD indicators (AwarContQuest), 73.38% of participants reported having experienced LD once or more. However, with regard to the correlations analysis, links between LD prevalence and factors such as Vividness of Mental Imagery and Parasomnia, varied across questionnaires. This result is an argument suggesting that researchers should be careful when investigating links between LD and other factors. The type of methodology may influence findings on LD research. Further studies are needed to investigate on the methodology effect in LD research namely on the respective weight of awareness and control.

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Increased Lucid Dreaming Frequency in Narcolepsy

Abstract: Narcolepsy patients experience a markedly higher lucid dreaming frequency compared to controls, and many patients report a positive impact of dream lucidity on the distress experienced from nightmares.

Cited by 58 publications

References 47 publications

Psychosis and the Control of Lucid Dreaming

Psychosis and the Control of Lucid Dreaming

Lucid Dreaming, Nightmares, and Sleep Paralysis: Associations With Reality Testing Deficits and Paranormal Experience/Belief

Investigating on the Methodology Effect When Evaluating Lucid Dream

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