DREAMS IN SLEEP-APNEA PATIENTS

The present study was undertaken to investigate the influence of apnea s on REM-elicited dream reports, and to examine the influence of clini cally successful treatment of the apneas on dreaming. Thirty-three vol unteers suffering from sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) slept during two nig hts in the sleep laboratory. Sixteen were treated with nasal continuou s positive air pressure (CPAP) during the first night and 17 during th e second. There was a total of 150 awakenings. 78 from REM sleep witho ut apneas, and 72 from REM sleep with apneas. After apneas, dream reca ll tended to be higher (60% vs. 72%, p = 0.09) and dream reports were significantly longer (16 words vs. 24 words, p = 0.05), than after hea lthy sleep. No systematic incorporation of the apnea stimulus into the dream reports could be demonstrated. Dreams after apneas were found t o be significantly more negative than dreams after healthy sleep (p < 0.01). This suggests that REM-elicited dreams are basically resistant to powerful internal stimulation. The stress caused by the apneas exer ted only a very global emotional influence on manifest dreaming.