REM sleep and dreams impact closeness to significant other: Daily associations between sleep, dreams, and attachment measures

Abstract

Objectives: Examine quantitative associations between REM sleep and dream content with measures of attachment; Test the hypothesis that REM sleep percentage (REM%) and dream content would predict daily changes in “closeness-to-significant-other” ratings. Methods: N=124 community volunteers participated in a two-week intensive-longitudinal assessment of mood, stress, social conflict, dream content measures, and sleep architecture, monitored with the DREEM3 Headband (DH) device. Multi-level modeling analyses were conducted with main and interaction effects to test the effect of daily and dream events on attachment. Results: Shifts in overnight closeness-to-significant other (SO) ratings were consistently predicted by lower levels of state attachment security. Social conflict also predicted positive overnight shifts in closeness-to-SO, with moderating effects of state attachment avoidance on social insecurity and closeness. Within-person dream content ratings had no influence on closeness-to-SO, but between-person dreamer agency had a negative impact and dream affect had a positive impact on interaction with state attachment security and avoidance. We also found that participants with higher between-person nightly levels of REM% had more positive overnight shifts in their morning closeness-to-SO ratings, indicating that intensity or amount of REM sleep mediates overnight shifts. Conclusions: REM intensity (duration/percentage) and state attachment mediate overnight shifts in subjective-ratings of closeness-to-SO.