Ultradian, Circadian, and Sleep-Dependent Features of Dreaming

Nielsen, Toré

doi:10.1016/b978-1-4160-6645-3.00049-9

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…If replicated, this relationship between brief periods of fasting and vivid dreams might be useful in helping individuals to procure vivid dreams for use in creative pursuits or psychotherapy. It is noteworthy, however, that intervals of fasting may be confounded by a tendency to sleep late in the morning; “sleeping-in” may facilitate more vivid dreams because it takes place closer to the peak of the circadian REM sleep propensity rhythm (for review see Nielsen, 2011 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: food and diet as instigators of bizarre and disturbing dreams

Nielsen

Powell

2015

Front. Psychol.

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In the early 1900s, the Dream of the Rarebit Fiend comic strip conveyed how the spicy cheese dish Welsh rarebit leads to bizarre and disturbing dreams. Today, the perception that foods disturb dreaming persists. But apart from case studies, some exploratory surveys, and a few lab studies on how hunger affects dreaming, there is little empirical evidence addressing this topic. The present study examines three aspects of the food/dreaming relationship; it attempts to: (1) assess the prevalence of the perception of food-dependent dreaming and the types of foods most commonly blamed; (2) determine if perceived food-dependent dreaming is associated with dietary, sleep or motivational factors; and (3) explore whether these factors, independent of food/dreaming perceptions, are associated with reports of vivid and disturbing dreams. Three hundred and ninety six students completed questionnaires evaluating sleep, dreams, and dietary habits and motivations. Items queried whether they had noticed if foods produced bizarre or disturbing dreams and if eating late at night influenced their dreams. The perception of food-dependent dreaming had a prevalence of 17.8%; with dairy products being the most frequently blamed food category (39–44%). Those who perceived food-dependent dreaming differed from others by reporting more frequent and disturbing dreams, poorer sleep, higher coffee intake, and lower Intuitive Eating Scale scores. Reports of disturbing dreams were associated with a pathological constellation of measures that includes poorer sleep, binge-eating, and eating for emotional reasons. Reports of vivid dreams were associated with measures indicative of wellness: better sleep, a healthier diet, and longer times between meals (fasting). Results clarify the relationship between food and dreaming and suggest four explanations for the perception of food-dependent dreaming: (1) food specific effects; (2) food-induced distress; (3) folklore influences, and (4) causal misattributions. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: food and diet as instigators of bizarre and disturbing dreams

Nielsen

Powell

2015

Front. Psychol.

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“…lab technician, EEG equipment) were clearly reported for the first four images of the night; yet, for Night 1 these very recent memories tended to diminish for later night images, while for Night 2 they persisted. Such variation may mean that circadian factors modulate access to memory sources (for review, see Nielsen, 2011) or that habituation to the laboratory and the self-observational method takes place before access to memory sources is stable. In either event, this case study illustrates the ease of both collecting memory sources at sleep onset and evaluating their temporal distances from a target image.…”

Section: Access To Multi-temporal Memory Associationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microdream Neurophenomenology

Nielsen¹

2018

Oxford Handbooks Online

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The fleeting dream images of sleep onset afford a rare glimpse at how experience is transformed from the perceptually grounded consciousness of wakefulness to the hallucinatory simulations of dreaming. These images, or microdreams, are briefer, simpler, and more accessible to phenomenological scrutiny than are the long REM dreams traditionally recorded in the sleep lab. This chapter shows that a focus on microdream phenomenology has thus far contributed to (1) developing a classification system for dreaming’s core phenomenology (Windt`s oneiragogic spectrum), (2) establishing a structure for assessing dreaming’s multiple memory inputs (multi-temporal memory sources), (3) furthering Silberer’s project for sleep onset imagery by uncovering two new types of imagery (autosensory imagery, exosensory imagery), and (4) providing a larger framework for explaining some microdreaming processes (multisensory integration approach). A continued focus on microdream neurophenomenology may help resolve outstanding questions about dreaming’s core features, neurophysiological correlates, and memory sources.

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“…• Subjects administered an ultra short, 20 m/40 m, sleep-wake cycle for 72 h reported NREM dream recall whose circadian fluctuations almost exactly mirror (r ¼ 0.87) circadian fluctuations in REM sleep propensity (Suzuki et al 2004). (Wamsley et al 2004)-presumably because circadian-modulated REM propensity is elevated for those NREM sleep periods (Nielsen 2011).…”

Section: Physiological Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dream Consciousness

Vögele

2014

Vienna Circle Institute Library

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Ultradian, Circadian, and Sleep-Dependent Features of Dreaming

Cited by 16 publications

References 52 publications

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: food and diet as instigators of bizarre and disturbing dreams

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: food and diet as instigators of bizarre and disturbing dreams

Microdream Neurophenomenology

Dream Consciousness

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