Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Nightmares and Night Terrors

Nightmares and Night Terrors

Nightmares and night terrors represent two distinct types of sleep disturbances that differ in timing, characteristics, and the sleeper's recall of the event. Nightmares are vivid, disturbing dreams that usually awaken the sleeper from REM sleep, a stage of sleep where brain activity is high, and dreams are most frequent. Upon awakening, individuals often have detailed recollections of their nightmares, which can include themes of threats to survival, security, or self-esteem.
Nightmares often...

Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect

While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?

Dreaming

Dreaming

Sigmund Freud revolutionized our understanding of dreams by proposing that they are a window into the unconscious mind. According to Freud, dreams are not mere stories our minds create while we sleep but are profoundly meaningful narratives about our hidden desires and fears. He introduced two key concepts: manifest content and latent content. The manifest content is the actual content and imagery of the dream — what we remember when we wake up. The latent content, however, represents the...

Sleep-Wake Cycles

Sleep-Wake Cycles

Sleep is an essential physiological process vital to maintaining overall well-being. The reticular activating system (RAS), a network of neurons in the brainstem, regulates wakefulness and sleep. While it may seem passive, sleep consists of distinct cycles, each with its unique characteristics and functions. Two key sleep phases are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM).
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:

The Availability Heuristic

The Availability Heuristic

A heuristic is a general problem-solving framework (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). You can think of these as mental shortcuts that are used to solve problems. Different types of heuristics are used in different types of situations, and the impulse to use a heuristic occurs when one of five conditions is met (Pratkanis, 1989):

Insomnia

Insomnia

Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night, and waking up too early without being able to return to sleep. People with insomnia often experience these disruptions at least three nights a week for at least one month. Chronic insomnia, which lasts for at least three months, can lead to increased anxiety, which in turn can worsen sleep difficulties, creating a cycle of sleeplessness and stress.
Multiple factors contribute...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The prevalence of insomnia disorder in inpatient psychiatric care.

European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience·2026

Same author

Nightmare Coping Strategies and Their Association With Big Five Personality Traits.

Journal of sleep research·2026

Same author

Gender differences in partner and ex-partner dreams.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same author

Dream Recall, Nightmares, and Aggression-Related Dream Content in Patients with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD).

Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil)·2026

Same author

Correction: Sleep-related metacognitions in inpatients with mental disorders.

European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience·2025

Same author

Nightmare Frequency and Nightmare Distress in Poor Sleepers: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Journal of sleep research·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Published on: September 12, 2014

Nightmare frequency and nightmare topics in a representative German sample.

Michael Schredl¹

¹Schlaflabor, Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit, Postfach 12 21 20, 68072, Mannheim, Germany. Michael.Schredl@zi-mannheim.de

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

|March 16, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study explored common nightmare themes in adults, finding falling and being chased were most frequent. These topics may relate to waking-life stressors, warranting further investigation.

More Related Videos

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Published on: December 18, 2014

Investigating the Neural Mechanisms of Aware and Unaware Fear Memory with fMRI

Investigating the Neural Mechanisms of Aware and Unaware Fear Memory with fMRI

Published on: October 6, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Published on: September 12, 2014

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Published on: December 18, 2014

Investigating the Neural Mechanisms of Aware and Unaware Fear Memory with fMRI

Investigating the Neural Mechanisms of Aware and Unaware Fear Memory with fMRI

Published on: October 6, 2011

Area of Science:

Psychology
Sleep Science
Neuroscience

Background:

Nightmares are disturbing dream experiences during REM sleep.
Research on nightmare frequency and treatment is growing, but content analysis is limited, especially in adults.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the frequency of nightmares and specific nightmare topics in a representative German adult sample.
To explore potential links between nightmare content and waking-life stressors.

Main Methods:

Systematic investigation of nightmare frequency and topics.
Analysis of data from a representative German sample.

Main Results:

The most common nightmare themes identified were falling, being chased, paralysis, being late, and the deaths of close persons.
Nightmare frequency and content were systematically analyzed.

Conclusions:

Common nightmare themes in adults include falling and being chased.
The continuity hypothesis may explain some findings, but further research is needed on the metaphorical links between nightmare topics and waking-life stressors.