Do individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) typically recall dreams?

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From the Research

There is no clear evidence that people with ADHD remember dreams differently than those without ADHD, as dream recall frequency and general dream characteristics did not differ between children with ADHD and those without ADHD 1. Dream recall varies widely among individuals regardless of ADHD status, and is influenced by many factors including sleep quality, sleep stage when awakening, and personal interest in dreams. Some key points to consider include:

  • The relationship between ADHD and dreaming remains an understudied area in sleep research, with individual experiences varying considerably.
  • Some ADHD medications, particularly stimulants like methylphenidate (Ritalin) or amphetamine salts (Adderall), might affect sleep architecture and potentially dream recall, but this varies by individual.
  • People with ADHD often experience disrupted sleep patterns, which could theoretically impact dream recall in either direction - some might remember more dreams due to more frequent night awakenings, while others might remember fewer dreams due to overall poor sleep quality.
  • If you're interested in improving dream recall, keeping a dream journal by your bed and writing down dreams immediately upon waking can help, regardless of whether you have ADHD. The most recent study on dream recall frequency and psychosomatics found that the ability to remember dreams can depend on a wide range of factors such as personality, creativity, mental state, cognitive functions as well as somatic symptoms 2. Additionally, a study on high dream recall frequency found that it is associated with increased creativity and default mode network connectivity 3. However, these studies do not specifically address the relationship between ADHD and dream recall. Other studies have focused on the cardiovascular safety of medications for ADHD 4 and the efficacy of guanfacine for the treatment of ADHD 5, but these are not directly relevant to the question of dream recall in ADHD. Overall, the current evidence suggests that ADHD does not have a significant impact on dream recall, but more research is needed to fully understand this relationship.

References

2
Research

Dream recall frequency and psychosomatics.

Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis, 2022

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