Shortened REM Latency: Consequence of Psychological Strain?

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that in healthy subjects sit uat ional strain may provoke not only sleep disturbances characteristic of depression (e.g., shortened REM latencies), but also alterations in dream content. Nevertheless, there are some controversial results. The aim or our study was to clarify these inconsistencies by developing a design which might avoid some methodological problems which were present in some of these previous studies. Eleven male subjects slept in the laboratory for 7 consecutive nights. During 1 evenings they saw a stressful and a neutral movie in randomized order. The subsequent nights included REM sleep awakenings for the purpose of dream collections. Whereas the subjects were demonstrably affected by the disturbing films, the patterns of subsequent sleep remained unchanged. In contrast manifest content of the initial dreams were clearly altered. Whereas the modes of dreaming were quite different within post‐stress nights, mood was unproved the next morning in all subjects. The results are discussed within the framework of several prevailing concepts about sleep, dreams, and psychological strain.

Oral contraceptives alter sleep and raise body temperature in young women

“…Lauer et al [27] found similarly short latencies to REM sleep in their subjects, which they attributed to their study design, which allowed the subjects to remain relatively inactive between preparations for sleep recordings and lights-out, similar to our study design. REM latencies often are shortened after such a resting period [27].…”

Effects of the Neuropeptide Substance P on Sleep, Mood, and Neuroendocrine Measures in Healthy Young Men

“…shortening of REM latency and increase of REM density (see Riemann 1993, Riemann et al 2001). Since REM latency is a very sensitive sleep parameter, which can be easily disturbed by unspecific stressors (see for example Lauer et al (1987)), we cannot exclude that the increase of REM latency is due to an unspecific disturbance of sleep induced by SP. Such an unspecific cause of sleep disturbance might be the SP-induced elevation of pulse rate, which might also have caused increased stage 1 sleep in the first part of the night and increased time awake during the SP-infusion intervals.…”

Sleeping Worries Away or Worrying Away Sleep? Physiological Evidence on Sleep-Emotion Interactions

“…A few previous studies, mainly from around the nineteen seventies, have investigated effects of psychosocial stressors on sleep and dreaming, using aversive film fragments [37], [38], [39], [40] or perfunctory treatment [41] to induce a negative mood state. However, these studies generally considered a limited sample size and restricted aspects of sleep architecture.…”