Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:638-640
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
Dream process in asthmatic subjects with nocturnal attacks
J Monday, J Montplaisir and JL Malo
Polygraphic sleep recordings were made and dream reports collected over 3
consecutive nights for 12 asthmatic subjects with nocturnal attacks and 12
matched normal control subjects. The asthmatic group 1) had more episodes
of a vivid impression of dreaming without recollection of dream content
("white dreams") after awakening spontaneously in the morning (nights 1 and
2) and after awakening immediately following REM sleep (night 3), 2) used
shorter sentences in dream narrations, and 3) had no dream recall when
awakened during nocturnal asthma attacks. The authors suggest that
conflictual material emerging during REM or other sleep stages may
contribute to the occurrence of nocturnal attacks but is repressed on
awakening.
