Dreams and Nightmares in Early Pregnancy: A Comparative Study with a Control Group

Serena Scarpelli,1,2 Marta Spinoni,1 Maurizio Gorgoni,1,2 Stefano Lasaponara,1 Paola Ciolli,3 Francesco Rech,3 Marco Di Muzio,4 Carlotta Med,1 Ilaria Di Pasquale Benedetti,1 Caterina Grano,1,* Luigi De Gennaro1,* 1Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; 2Body and Action Lab, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy; 3Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; 4Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Serena Scarpelli, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, Rome, 00185, Italy, Email [email protected]: This study investigated dream characteristics in women during the first trimester of pregnancy compared to a group of non-pregnant women, aiming to identify variables associated with the observed differences.Participants and Method: A sample of 100 pregnant women in their first trimester was compared to a control group of 100 age-matched non-pregnant women. Participants completed online questionnaires to assess dream activity, sleep quality, depressive symptoms, and sociodemographic variables.Results: Controlling for socio-demographic variables, statistical comparisons revealed that pregnant women reported fewer nightmares and showed less interest in their dream activity compared to non-pregnant women. Ordinal logistic regression revealed that being in the control group, greater attention to dreams, the presence of depressive symptoms, and a higher frequency of lucid dreaming were significant predictors of more frequent nightmares. Moderation analysis showed no significant interaction between pregnancy status and dream attitude.Conclusion: Contrary to expectations, first-trimester pregnant women had fewer nightmares than non-pregnant women. However, the results are coherent with the finding that parasomnia-like events decrease during pregnancy. The rapid hormonal changes and specific sleep and emotional features of this stage of gestation may explain the lower presence of nightmares as compared to our control group. Moreover, we confirmed a crucial role of dream attitude in recalling nightmares, suggesting that some stable, trait-like features may contribute to nightmare experiences independently of pregnancy status. Our results also confirmed, according to the Continuity hypothesis, that depressive symptoms are associated with nightmares. Also, the presence of lucid dreaming in association with nightmares may be interpreted as an attempt to cope with unpleasant emotions. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine how dream activity evolves across pregnancy stages.Plain Language Summary: Have you ever wondered how particular moments in life, emotional states, and “non-ordinary” physical conditions affect your dreams? This study explores exactly that, focusing on a unique moment in life: pregnancy. Researchers compared the dreaming of 100 women in their first trimester of pregnancy with those of 100 non-pregnant women. The results are quite unexpected: pregnant women in their first trimester reported experiencing fewer nightmares and less interest in their dreams compared to the control group. At first glance, this seems to contrast with other research suggesting that pregnancy often increases dream frequency and nightmares.However, there is actually very little research specifically focusing on the first trimester of pregnancy —just one prior study— and the findings of this study are consistent with it.So, what’s behind this reduction in scary dreams? It may be linked to the sleep changes during this period. Pregnancy hormones have sedative effects that can lead to deeper sleep, reducing REM sleep—the stage where the most vivid dreams occur.Additionally, women reporting higher levels of depressive symptoms and those more engaged with their dreams were more likely to experience nightmares. This suggests that emotional factors and interest in dreams, play a significant role in the occurrence of bad dreams.This research provides valuable insights into how pregnancy can affect dreams, highlighting the importance of understanding these changes to support the mental health of expectant mothers. Future research should explore how dreams evolve longitudinally across all three trimesters of pregnancy to address the many unanswered questions.Keywords: oneiric activity, gestation, continuity hypothesis, nightmares, first trimester, depression