Comparison of dream anxiety and subjective sleep quality between chronotypes

Abstract

Morning and evening-type individuals differ on a number of psychological and biological variables. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep quality, dream anxiety, and chronotypes. A sample of 264 university students, aged between 17 and 26 years, completed the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Van Dream Anxiety Scale for assessing nightmare frequency and the dream anxiety caused by frightening dreams. Main findings indicated that evening-type individuals were significantly more likely to suffer from poor sleep quality, daytime dysfunction, nightmares, and nightmare-related disturbances as compared to either intermediate-or morning-type individuals. Previous studies have pointed out the possible connections of irregular sleep-wake habits and circadian dysregulation with a tendency to reveal eveningness chronotypical characteristics. Current findings suggest that evening-type individuals are more prone to experience psychologically deteriorating nightmares and sleep-related anxiety. Poor sleep quality is also a significant antecedent of dream anxiety after controlling for age and gender.

Sleep–wake pattern, chronotype and seizures in patients with epilepsy

“…Circadian dysregulation between individual chronotype and daily activity are known to cause http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2015.11.010 0920-1211/© 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V. sleep problems. One study showed that individuals with a circadian preference for evening activities (evening-type) showed higher prevalence of sleep disturbance than morningness or intermediated-type (Selvi et al, 2012). Homeostatic changes in sleep deprivation, as well as different individual chronotype can cause sleep disorders.…”

Evening-type military veterans report worse lifetime posttraumatic stress symptoms and greater brainstem activity across wakefulness and REM sleep

“…Recent evidence also links eveningness to more frequent and intense nightmares (Nielsen, 2010; Selvi et al, 2012). This link suggests that the affective dysregulation, which characterizes evening-types' waking state, may also extend to the rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep state during which nightmares primarily occur.…”

Chronotype, Sleep Behavior, and the Big Five Personality Factors

“…Dreaming intensity is modulated by a sinusoidal, 90-min ultradian oscillation (see review in Nielsen, 2004). Therefore, differences in chronotype could explain the formation of nightmares (Selvi et al, 2012). Nightmares are defined as disturbing mental experiences that generally occur during REM sleep and often result in awakening (American Academy of Sleep Medicine [AASM], 2014).…”