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Contents
- Abstract
- INTRODUCTION
- METHODS
- RESULTS
- Subject Characteristics
- Nightmare Frequency
- Nightmare Distress
- Other Sleep Problems
- Relation of Nightmares to Psychological Distress and Pulmonary Function
- DISCUSSION
- Higher Nightmare Frequencies Among Asthmatics
- Nightmare Distress Among OAD Patients
- Psychological Distress Among OAD Patients
- Declines in Nightmare Frequency with Age
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Abstract
Clinical reports and some research have suggested an association between asthma and nightmares. Forty-eight patients with obstructive airways disease (OAD), including 21 with and 27 without asthma, were compared with 149 sex- and age-matched controls without respiratory disease. OAD patients with asthma reported approximately three times as many nightmares as controls or OAD patients without asthma (p < .01). OAD patients, whether with or without asthma, were nearly 3 times more likely than controls to report that their nightmares were a “problem” (p < .001). It is concluded that nightmares are more frequent among asthmatics than among either normal individuals of the same age and gender or DAD patients without asthma. Subsidiary findings indicated that OAD patients may exhibit elevated levels of psychological distress and anxiety, and that nightmare frequency declines with age. Keywords: Nightmares—Sleep Disorders—Obstructive airways disease—Asthma—Anxiety.
INTRODUCTION
Nightmares are frightening dreams that usually occur during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep (1, 2). Although nightmares are believed to be one of the sequelae of traumatic stress (3), little research has been done on the relationship between nightmares and the stress caused by chronic disease. The topic in this area that has received the most attention has been the relationship of nightmares with asthma, and to a lesser extent with chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD) (formerly called “bronchitis”). Researchers in this area have hoped to illuminate the physiological bases of nightmares and the role of psychological factors in these two diseases, which together are classified under the name of obstructive airways disease (OAD).
Empirical evidence from three sources suggests that nightmare prevalence may be especially high among OAD patients. First, clinical reports indicate that asthma attacks can be accompanied by violent nightmares (4) or dreams of being strangled or drowned (5, 6), suggesting that oxygen deprivation or the sensation of choking during sleep may sometimes result in nightmares...