We spend our time advising you to get enough sleep (to be in good shape, in a good mood, etc.), and now a study has just demonstrated the value of getting little sleep. Well, let it be said, the results of the study will not concern everyone, only heavy sleepers and people prone to nightmares. According to researchers at the University of Oxford, nights of 9 hours or more promote bad dreams, much more than alcohol or sports.
The researchers thus wished to understand the causes of nightmares and observed 846 volunteers (mostly women) for 2 weeks. They were asked to indicate the frequency of their nightmares and, if applicable, to judge the severity of these (in particular according to whether they had an impact on the following day). In parallel, the levels of depression, stress, anxiety, but also the amount of alcohol consumed, the duration of the nights and sports activity were monitored. Verdict? Worry and stress are frequently associated with having nightmares, as is sleep duration. Beyond 9 hours of sleep, the probability of having had a nightmare during the night was higher. Researchers believe that a longer night incorporates a longer phase of REM sleep (the last stage of sleep). However, it is during this phase that dreams and nightmares occur. It is therefore quite logical that by having a longer REM sleep, we risk having more nightmares. On the other hand, the study showed no link between drinking alcohol or playing sports late and nightmares.
Clearly, if we are in a stressful period and we tend to have nightmares, we limit our nights to 8 hours...
