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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Human Circadian Phenotyping and Diurnal Performance Testing in the Real World

Human Circadian Phenotyping and Diurnal Performance Testing in the Real World

Published on: April 7, 2020

Nightmares associated with the eveningness chronotype.

¹Centre d'étude du sommeil et des rythmes biologiques, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Canada. tore.nielsen@umontreal.ca

Journal of Biological Rhythms

|January 16, 2010

Summary

Nightmare frequency and distress are linked to chronotype, particularly "eveningness" in women. Evening types experience more severe nightmares, suggesting a connection to underlying psychological factors.

Area of Science:

Chronobiology
Sleep Science
Psychology

Background:

Chronotype, or "morningness-eveningness," influences daily rhythms but its relation to nightmares is unclear.
Previous research has established links between chronotype and various psychological and physiological factors.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the association between nightmare frequency/distress and chronotype.
To explore potential gender and age differences in this relationship.

Main Methods:

Analysis of data from 3978 internet questionnaire respondents (ages 10-69).
Assessment of chronotype, nightmare frequency, nightmare distress, age, and gender.
Statistical analysis to identify associations and potential confounding factors.

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Main Results:

A strong association was found between nightmares and eveningness in female subjects.
Increasing eveningness correlated with higher nightmare frequency and distress.
Nightmare distress increased significantly in females aged 10-29 and males aged 30-49.
The nightmare-eveningness association in females was more pronounced in definite evening types and appeared earlier in younger adults.

Conclusions:

Eveningness may be associated with a general pathological factor contributing to nightmares and affective symptoms like depression.
Morningness might offer a protective effect, potentially delaying the onset of these issues.
Chronotype influences sleep-related emotional processing, possibly explaining gender differences in nightmare occurrence.