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Dream process in asthmatic subjects with nocturnal attacks.
The American Journal of Psychiatry
|May 1, 1987
Summary
Asthmatic patients experience more "white dreams" and less dream recall, especially during attacks. This suggests repressed conflictual material may trigger nocturnal asthma symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Medicine
- Psychology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Nocturnal asthma attacks can disrupt sleep.
- Dream content and recall in asthmatic individuals are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate dream recall and content in asthmatic patients with nocturnal attacks compared to controls.
- To explore potential links between dream experiences and asthma exacerbations.
Main Methods:
- Polygraphic sleep recordings and dream reports collected over 3 nights.
- 12 asthmatic subjects with nocturnal attacks and 12 matched controls participated.
- Awakenings occurred spontaneously, after REM sleep, and during asthma attacks.
Main Results:
- Asthmatic group reported more "white dreams" (vivid impression without content recall).
- Asthmatic subjects used shorter sentences in dream narrations.
- No dream recall was reported when awakened during nocturnal asthma attacks.
Conclusions:
- Repressed conflictual material during sleep may contribute to nocturnal asthma attacks.
- Altered dream experiences in asthmatics might reflect underlying psychological distress.
- Further research is needed to confirm the link between dream content and asthma pathophysiology.