Intensified Daydreams and Nap Dreams in Frequent Nightmare Sufferers

Nightmares (NM) are characterized by intense negative emotion. Research suggests that frequent NM sufferers also have greater inclinations to fantasy and dream-like daydreams, although it is not known whether they experience intense negative emotion as part of these waking state cognitions. We asses...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Dreaming (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2016-06, Vol.26 (2), p.119-131
Main Authors: Carr, Michelle, Blanchette-Carrière, Cloé, Solomonova, Elizaveta, Paquette, Tyna, Nielsen, Tore
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Daydreaming
Emotions
Female
Human
Male
Napping
Nightmares
REM Sleep
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Summary:Nightmares (NM) are characterized by intense negative emotion. Research suggests that frequent NM sufferers also have greater inclinations to fantasy and dream-like daydreams, although it is not known whether they experience intense negative emotion as part of these waking state cognitions. We assessed the daydreams and nap dreams of NM participants to determine whether they have more negative daydream content and more vivid imagery overall. NM and control (CTL) participants completed a daydream procedure followed by a nap targeted to contain 80 min total sleep time and an awakening 10 min into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. For both daydreams and nap dreams, participants completed a questionnaire regarding 4 factors: negativity, positivity, body sensation, and bizarreness. Results revealed the NM group had elevated positivity, body sensation and bizarreness ratings for daydreams compared with the CTL group, but did not differ from them for negativity ratings. NM participants also had elevated body sensation ratings for nap dreams, but did not differ for negativity, positivity, or bizarreness. Thus, while NMs themselves are characterized by negative affect, NM sufferers nonetheless have higher than normal positivity, body sensation, and bizarreness in their daydreams and specifically more body sensation in their laboratory nap dreams. This may reflect some change in the affective structure of imagery among NM sufferers (e.g., altered experiences of bodily arousal), the differential influence of circadian factors on the 2 groups, or the fact that sleeping in the laboratory tends to suppress NMs.
ISSN:1053-0797
1573-3351
DOI:10.1037/drm0000024