Page 93 - JCBP-3-2

Journal of Clinical and
Basic Psychosomatics Impact of sleep on psychosomatic health

Several authors have gone so far as to state that dreams of dream recall in relation to psychosomatic pathology is
may be the first indicator of psychosomatic illnesses, that of Ilias et al., in which 108 patients suffering from
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before objective clinical or laboratory changes, because dermatitis proven to be psychosomatic, and six patients
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during REM sleep and especially during dreams, the suffering from gastrointestinal disorders and hypertension
variations of the autonomic nervous system are the most proven to be psychosomatic were interviewed, the results
significant and may unbalance the vulnerable structures showing that only 17.5% of the patients with dermatologic
of the body. The most extensive study that dealt with the pathology and only 17% of the patients with gastrointestinal
quantitative relationship between dream content and pathology were able to recall most of the dreams they had
changes in autonomic nervous system parameters was in the past week, compared to 80% reported in people
that of Hauri and Van de Castle, in which 15 adults were without psychosomatic pathology who were questioned
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monitored to determine their polysomnographic and about their dreams upon awakening from REM sleep. 65
autonomic nervous system parameters during sleep. They
were also questioned about the content of their dreams. 4. Discussion
The parameters measured were heart rate, respiratory rate, The data provided by the literature in the field allow us to
phasic vasoconstriction and rapid changes in skin electric answer, at least partially, the questions that we wished to
potential, and the dreams were analyzed using a 7-question address in this paper. The rational approach to a subject
questionnaire designed to analyze the emotionality of the that involves medicine, biology, and psychology and in
dream, an activity scale measuring the theoretical energy which scientific research through prospective studies and
required for the person to perform the physical activity meta-analyses is limited is to be cautious in clearly stating
from the dream during wakefulness and a scale quantifying conclusions, coupled with specifying proven working
the level of involvement of the person as an “actor” in their hypotheses to shed light on promising future directions.
dream. Participants spent one night of familiarization in
the polysomnography laboratory and three experimental Clearly, psychosomatic pathology is associated both
nights, being awakened twice a night from both REM with disturbances in sleep architecture, mainly in the form
and NREM sleep. Highly statistically significant results of a quantitative and qualitative imbalance of REM sleep,
(P < 0.005) were observed between dream emotionality and with sleep deprivation, and also with dreams, in the
and heart rate variability in the last 6 min of REM sleep, particular manner in which they manifest in this group of
between dream emotionality and skin potential variability patients. While only weak psychophysiological correlations
in the last minute of REM sleep, and between the person’s between organ system function and pathological sleep
involvement in the dream as an “actor” and the average have been observed in the general population, these
heart rate throughout REM sleep. All these relationships connections become much more pronounced in patients
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demonstrate that dream content can exert an influence on with psychosomatic disorders : REM sleep exerts
physiological variables during REM sleep. pressure on vulnerable organ systems by activating the
autonomic nervous system, sleep deprivation generates
Although dreams, especially those during REM sleep,
may have a negative influence on physiological variables psychophysiological imbalances and dreams during
REM sleep may exacerbate the symptomatology of many
during sleep, it is worth noting the influence that patients’ psychosomatic illnesses.
inability to dream or to remember and verbalize their
dreams may negatively influence them throughout the Due to the fact that most study approaches were either
entire circadian cycle. Another common observation in the cross-sectional in design or lasted for short periods of
literature related to people with psychosomatic pathology time, the temporal or causal relationships between REM
is that they tend to recall dreams less frequently than sleep disturbances, sleep deprivation, dream character, and
people in the general population. It has been observed psychosomatic pathology can only be intuited. REM sleep
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that people with these disorders report significantly disturbance is considered one of many comorbid conditions
fewer dreams during psychotherapy sessions. Asthmatic that predispose to or exacerbate the symptomatology of
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patients did not recall any dream episodes if they had a multifactorial diseases, such as psychosomatic disorders.
nocturnal bronchial asthma attack and had much more Dreams with high emotional charge or terrifying content
often than healthy subjects the sensation of “white” for the patient were occurring around the same time as
dreaming (patients knew they had dreamt something, but somatic complaints, which is why it is difficult to state
were unable to recall any element of the dream) in the study which of the two is more likely to occur first and whether
by Monday et al. Smith stated that patients who do not one of them generates the other. The general approach on
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dream or do not recall dreams have the worst cardiovascular this issue was that of a mutual relationship, in which the
prognosis. A quantitative study that addressed the issue body and the psyche influence each other both during

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 87 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.4997