Bern/Switzerland: A recent study offers hope to those haunted by chronic nightmares, suggesting that specific sounds played during sleep can help alleviate distressing dreams. Conducted with 36 patients diagnosed with nightmare disorder, the study combined two innovative therapies, showing a significant reduction in the frequency of nightmares and an increase in positive dream experiences as reported by The US Sun. Photo courtesy: Getty Images.
In the study, participants were encouraged to rewrite their most recurring nightmares into positive narratives. Researchers then used a non-invasive approach, playing a sound tied to positive emotions—a single C69 piano chord—while participants slept. This sound was introduced every 10 seconds during REM sleep, the stage most associated with intense dreaming.
Dr. Lampros Perogamvros, a psychiatrist at Geneva University Hospitals and the University of Geneva, led the study and emphasized the connection between emotional well-being and the nature of our dreams. “We found that manipulating emotions in dreams can help reduce the frequency of intensely negative nightmares,” he explained.
Nightmares have long been associated with poor sleep quality and can lead to other health challenges, including anxiety and insomnia. With sleep disturbances reportedly on the rise, especially during the global pandemic, researchers are looking for safe, accessible treatments. Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT), where patients reshape their nightmares with positive outcomes, has shown promise but doesn’t work for everyone. This study explored enhancing IRT’s effectiveness through a technique known as Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR), which reinforces memories using sounds.
The participants, after documenting their dreams for two weeks, received a session of IRT. Half of the group then engaged in TMR, linking the newly positive narratives of their nightmares with a specific sound. The control group revised their nightmares without TMR. Over two weeks, both groups used sleep headbands that played the piano chord during REM sleep.
Results revealed that while the control group’s average nightmares dropped to 1.02 per week, the TMR group’s frequency dropped from nearly three weekly nightmares to just 0.19. Even three months after the study, both groups continued to experience fewer nightmares, with the TMR group reporting more frequent happy dreams.
Dr. Perogamvros shared his optimism about the study’s implications: “We observed a fast decrease in nightmares alongside a shift to more positive dream content. For clinicians and researchers alike, these findings open doors to promising new therapies that utilize emotional processing during sleep.”
With further research, this combined approach could offer a breakthrough for those affected by nightmares, providing a simple, sound-based path to a more peaceful night’s rest.