Sleep and Dreams in Eating Disorders

Dippel, B.; Lauer, Christoph; Riemann, Dieter; K, Majer-Trendel; Krieg, Jürgen-Christian; Berger, Thomas

doi:10.1159/000288048

Cited by 12 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…Among eating disordered patients whose dreams were sampled in a single laboratory night, dreams of food were much more prevalent. One study found them in 58% of patients with bulimia, 26% of patients with anorexia, and 44% of patients with anorexia and bulimia combined (Dippel et al, 1987 ). Similarly, patients with a diagnosis of migraine headache were retrospectively more likely to report taste (31%) and smell (36%) in their dreams than were control subjects (20 and 20%, respectively) (Lovati et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: food and diet as instigators of bizarre and disturbing dreams

Nielsen

Powell

2015

Front. Psychol.

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In the early 1900s, the Dream of the Rarebit Fiend comic strip conveyed how the spicy cheese dish Welsh rarebit leads to bizarre and disturbing dreams. Today, the perception that foods disturb dreaming persists. But apart from case studies, some exploratory surveys, and a few lab studies on how hunger affects dreaming, there is little empirical evidence addressing this topic. The present study examines three aspects of the food/dreaming relationship; it attempts to: (1) assess the prevalence of the perception of food-dependent dreaming and the types of foods most commonly blamed; (2) determine if perceived food-dependent dreaming is associated with dietary, sleep or motivational factors; and (3) explore whether these factors, independent of food/dreaming perceptions, are associated with reports of vivid and disturbing dreams. Three hundred and ninety six students completed questionnaires evaluating sleep, dreams, and dietary habits and motivations. Items queried whether they had noticed if foods produced bizarre or disturbing dreams and if eating late at night influenced their dreams. The perception of food-dependent dreaming had a prevalence of 17.8%; with dairy products being the most frequently blamed food category (39–44%). Those who perceived food-dependent dreaming differed from others by reporting more frequent and disturbing dreams, poorer sleep, higher coffee intake, and lower Intuitive Eating Scale scores. Reports of disturbing dreams were associated with a pathological constellation of measures that includes poorer sleep, binge-eating, and eating for emotional reasons. Reports of vivid dreams were associated with measures indicative of wellness: better sleep, a healthier diet, and longer times between meals (fasting). Results clarify the relationship between food and dreaming and suggest four explanations for the perception of food-dependent dreaming: (1) food specific effects; (2) food-induced distress; (3) folklore influences, and (4) causal misattributions. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: food and diet as instigators of bizarre and disturbing dreams

Nielsen

Powell

2015

Front. Psychol.

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“…Of the 24 included studies, 21 could differentiate between melancholic depression, non-melancholic depression, and/or HC. By subgroup, four ( 22 – 25 ) out of five ( 22 – 26 ) resting state studies identified one or several EEG parameters that could distinguish groups; among the ERP studies, seven ( 27 – 33 ) out of nine ( 27 – 35 ) could separate melancholic depression from the other groups ( 27 – 33 ), while this was the case in all 10 sleep EEG studies ( 36 – 45 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Regarding the quality of individual studies, 10 studies were classified as of low quality ( 22 , 25 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 34 , 36 – 38 , 42 ), eight studies as of high quality ( 23 , 24 , 27 , 29 , 32 , 33 , 35 , 40 ), and six studies of moderate quality ( 26 , 39 , 41 , 43 – 45 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electroencephalographic Parameters Differentiating Melancholic Depression, Non-melancholic Depression, and Healthy Controls. A Systematic Review

Bruun¹,

Arnbjerg

Kessing

2021

Front. Psychiatry

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Introduction: The objective of this systematic review was to investigate whether electroencephalographic parameters can serve as a tool to distinguish between melancholic depression, non-melancholic depression, and healthy controls in adults.Methods: A systematic review comprising an extensive literature search conducted in PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO in August 2020 with monthly updates until November 1st, 2020. In addition, we performed a citation search and scanned reference lists. Clinical trials that performed an EEG-based examination on an adult patient group diagnosed with melancholic unipolar depression and compared with a control group of non-melancholic unipolar depression and/or healthy controls were eligible. Risk of bias was assessed by the Strengthening of Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist.Results: A total of 24 studies, all case-control design, met the inclusion criteria and could be divided into three subgroups: Resting state studies (n = 5), sleep EEG studies (n = 10), and event-related potentials (ERP) studies (n = 9). Within each subgroup, studies were characterized by marked variability on almost all levels, preventing pooling of data, and many studies were subject to weighty methodological problems. However, the main part of the studies identified one or several EEG parameters that differentiated the groups.Conclusions: Multiple EEG modalities showed an ability to distinguish melancholic patients from non-melancholic patients and/or healthy controls. The considerable heterogeneity across studies and the frequent methodological difficulties at the individual study level were the main limitations to this work. Also, the underlying premise of shifting diagnostic paradigms may have resulted in an inhomogeneous patient population.Systematic Review Registration: Registered in the PROSPERO registry on August 8th, 2020, registration number CRD42020197472.

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“…Both decreases and increases in REM sleep in anorectics have been reported [40][41][42]. Neil et al [40] demonstrated a longer REM latency, while in the study of Levy et al [21], REM was not affected.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth Hormone-Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Axis, Leptin and Sleep in Anorexia nervosa Patients

et al. 2003

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The present study characterizes the relationships between severe malnutrition, sleep, growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH-IGF-1) axis, and leptin levels in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients before and after weight gain. Eleven restricting-type anorectic females (mean age = 19.7 years) with severe starvation state [mean body mass index (BMI) = 13.3] were studied using polysomnography and spectral power analysis. The hormone levels were measured in the morning after sleep recording. Eleven normal-weight, age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers without a history of any eating disorder served as controls. After nutritional treatment for about 2 months (65.7 ± 6.4 days), sleep examinations and blood tests were repeated. At this stage, the study group consisted of 5 patients (mean BMI = 15.6). Higher IGF-1 and leptin levels were associated with longer and deeper sleep among anorectics. The sleep parameters including the percentages of stage 1 sleep and SWS as well as IGF-1 tended to normalize after only limited weight gain. Sleep disturbances in anorectics may be mediated through changes in the levels of the GH-IGF-1 axis hormones, as well as the levels of leptin.

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Sleep and Dreams in Eating Disorders

Cited by 12 publications

References 12 publications

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: food and diet as instigators of bizarre and disturbing dreams

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: food and diet as instigators of bizarre and disturbing dreams

Electroencephalographic Parameters Differentiating Melancholic Depression, Non-melancholic Depression, and Healthy Controls. A Systematic Review

Growth Hormone-Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Axis, Leptin and Sleep in Anorexia nervosa Patients

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