Investigating the Dreaming Content of Migraineurs

Background: Migraine is common and nocturnal attacks, sometimes, at night make the individual awake. Migraine often induces heavy pressure on the individual and society, and mostly co morbid with psychiatric disorders. Dreaming is a personal and psychological experience that never can be recorded while happening. Different physical-mental situations cause variation in dreaming form. Dreaming content can affect on procedure and features of some psychiatric disorders and it seems some accelerate migraine headaches. Objectives: Present study investigated the dreaming content of migraineurs. Patients and Methods: In this cross sectional study, 185 patients with migraine were selected and investigated by available sampling. Migraine diagnosis was based on International Headache Society (HIS) criteria. Dreams were interpreted based on Hall/ Van de Castle, which consisted 11 dreaming content categories. Data was analyzed in SPSS 17 and variables through descriptive statistical tests, analytical ?2, ANOVA and Logistic regression. Results: Out of 185 patients, 133 were women. In nocturnal migraine, the average number of attacks were more per month (P = 0.006). Out of 130 patients, 231 dreams were recorded. Those with nocturnal attacks remembered and recorded their dreams more (P = 0.02). Friendliness, sexual and bad fortune contents were more in those with nocturnal attacks (P = 0.001). Sadness, bad fortune, aggression, confusion, sexual (P = 0.001) and failure accelerated headaches (P = 0.039). Conclusions: Positive or negative emotions increase headaches. More advanced studies about dreaming contents in different patients and cultures and their comparison with healthy individuals can be helpful in this issue.