P078 Poor sleep quality in Australia: The role of disturbing dreams, nightmares, and psychological distress

Abstract Introduction Disturbing dreams and nightmares can cause night-time awakenings and disrupt sleep. Despite high rates of poor sleep quality in Australia, there has been little investigation into the impact of disturbing dreams and nightmares on sleep quality. This study aimed to determine the relationship between disturbing dreams and nightmares and sleep quality in Australia while also examining the contribution of psychological distress. Methods Four hundred and thirty-nine Australian adults (310 females, average age: 44.9 years) completed an online survey investigating sleep, dreams, nightmares, and mental health. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), nightmares were assessed with the Disturbing Dreams and Nightmares Severity Index (DDNSI), and psychological distress was assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) total score. Two linear regression models (adjusted for age and sex) examined the contribution of DDNSI and DASS-21 on PSQI scores. Results In the first model, disturbing dreams and nightmares were a significant predictor of PSQI scores (p < 0.001), explaining 10% of the variance. Once psychological distress was added to the model, both disturbing dreams and nightmares (p = 0.004) and psychological distress (p < 0.001) significantly predicted PSQI scores. The final model explained 22% of the variance in PSQI scores. Discussion Disturbing dreams and nightmares contribute to poor sleep quality in Australia. Psychological distress also plays a key role. Sleep health researchers, therefore, need to include validated measures of disturbing dreams, nightmares, and psychological distress when investigating factors contributing to poor sleep quality in Australia.