Final Presentation

English for M1 2024-2025

GUNKAYA Océane & DEHEZ Pauline

The Purpose of Dreams

Emotional Processing and Regulation During REM Sleep

Cherry, K. (2024)

The Captivating World of Dreams

• Dreams represent a fascinating and mysterious frontier of our mind.

• Science is still debating their usefulness

BUT Recent research suggests dreams are crucial for emotional processing, impacting mental health.

"Dreams are the royal road to the unconscious."

— Sigmund Freud

1. Light Sleep 2. Deep Sleep 3. REM Sleep * moment of dreams* 😴 😴 😴

The stages of sleep

Focus: how sleep quality influences emotional experiences during wakefulness and in dreams Implication: how important good sleep is for emotional balance and suggest that improving sleep could boost emotional well-being

Key Articles in Our Research

Conte, F et al. (2021)

Gujar et al. (2011) Focus: How REM sleep recalibrates the brain's sensitivity to emotions. Implication: REM sleep helps the brain adjust its responses to emotions, improving emotional regulation in daily life.

Gujar et al. (2011)

A Role for REM Sleep in Recalibrating the Sensitivity of the Human Brain to Specific Emotions

• Role of REM sleep in modulating emotional reactivity. Levin et Nielsen (2009)

• Hypothesis: Emotional reactivity is not stable and is influenced by sleep. Benca et al. (1992)

• REM sleep may recalibrate emotional responses, particularly negative emotions such as fear and anger. Walker (2009a, 2009b)

Introduction

90 minutes

"Nap" group and the "No-Nap" group

Methode

• 36 healthy participants (18-30 years)
• Randomly assigned into two groups :

TEST :

• Recognition of emotional facial expressions

--> (at 12 PM and 5 PM)

• Assess the intensity of four emotions (fear, sadness, anger, and happiness) expressed by human faces
• on a scale from 1 to 4

Figure 1. Change in emotional reactivity (Gujar et al, 2011)

RESULTS

In the "No Nap" group, reactivity to expressions of anger and fear increased

In the "Nap" group, reactivity to fear decreased + reactivity to happy expressions increased

Info

Participants who reached REM sleep showed this emotional modulation

Discussion

Sleep, and more specifically REM sleep, has a modulatory influence on emotional reactivity

Decrease in noradrenergic and serotonergic activity during REM sleep⇒ reduces activation to threatening stimuli and increases receptivity to positive stimuli (Phan et al., 2002)

Major clinical implications --> mood disorders, where dysfunction of REM sleep (Benca et al., 1992; Harvey, 2008)

CONCLUSION

• Emotional reactivity is dynamic and can be influenced by REM sleep.
• The latter helps reduce sensitivity to negative emotions while improving the perception of positive emotions.
• New perspectives on the importance of sleep in the regulation of emotions
• Applications in the treatment of mood disorders

Conte et al. (2021)

The effects of sleep quality on dream and waking emotions.

• Exploring how sleep quality affects emotions.

• Goes beyond the basics of “getting enough sleep.”

• Looks at emotional impact during dreams and throughout the day.

Introduction

• Assessment Tool : PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index)

• Dream Diary : Recorded dream emotions

• Daily Emotional Record : Documented emotional states during the day

• Purpose : To find connections between sleep quality and emotions

Materials and Methods

Results

Poor sleep quality linked to negative emotions in dreams (e.g., sadness, frustration).

Negative dream emotions also influenced daytime emotions

Poor sleep quality ↔︎ more emotional negativity in both dreams and waking life.

Discussion

Highlights emotional impact of sleep quality.

Poor sleep affects more than physical well-being—it impacts emotional sensitivity.

LIMITATIONS

Self-reported data may be biased

No control for other factors like stress.

• Good sleep is essential for both physical and emotional well-being.

• Potential for future research to explore improving sleep quality as a way to boost emotional health.

CONCLUSION

• Good sleep is essential for both physical and emotional well-being.

• Potential for future research to explore improving sleep quality as a way to boost emotional health.

Conte, F et al. (2021) Gujar et al. (2011)

comparison

similar

• REM Sleep's Role: Crucial for managing emotions like fear and anger and boost positive ones.

• Emotional Balance: REM sleep helps maintain stable emotional responses.

• Impact of Sleep Quality: Poor sleep disrupts emotional regulation, increasing anxiety and depression risk.

• Essential for Well-being: Quality sleep is vital for emotional health.

dissimilarity

Objectives:

• Impact on emotional reactivity to external stimuli (fear, anger).
• Influence on emotions during wakefulness and in dreams.

Methodology:

• Experimental Approachnal
• Self-Report

Focus:

• External Emotional Reactions
• Internal Emotional Experiences

1. REM sleep : Essential for reducing negativity and boosting positivity. 2. Long-term sleep quality : Impacts emotional balance in waking and dreaming states . 3. Effects vary by timeframe : Immediate impact (e.g., post-nap). Cumulative effects based on overall sleep patterns. 4. Dreams as reflections of emotion : Poor sleep disrupts their regulatory role

Main Takeaways

Conclusion

• perspectives for psychology, in the clinical field.

• beneficial for patients with mood disorders (depression or anxiety).

• new avenues to incorporate sleep-related approaches into therapy : cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia.

--> we could better understand and address emotional difficulties, while also optimizing overall well-being for our patients.

Why this articles are important ?

We hope we haven't put you to sleep, but we wish you sweet dreams!

bibliography

• Gujar, N., McDonald, S. A., Nishida, M., & Walker, M. P. (2011). A Role for REM Sleep in Recalibrating the Sensitivity of the Human Brain to Specific Emotions. Cerebral Cortex, 21(1), 115‑123. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhq064
• Conte, F., Cellini, N., De Rosa, O., Rescott, M. L., Malloggi, S., Giganti, F., & Ficca, G. (2021). The Effects of Sleep Quality on Dream and Waking Emotions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020431
• Cherry, K. (2024). Why Do We Dream? Understanding Dream Theories. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/why-do-we-dream-top-dream-theories-2795931

NAP group

Figure 2. Differential impact of REM on the change in emotion reactivity (Gujar et al, 2011)