TORE
NIELSEN
I am a Professor of Psychiatry at the Université de Montréal and Director of the Dream & Nightmare Laboratory (DNL) within the Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine. My current research concerns dreaming at sleep onset, the role of dreaming in learning and memory, pathophysiology and dream function in nightmare sufferers, targeted memory reactivation (TMR) effects on sleep and dreaming, and nightmares after early life adversity. I use a variety of sleep research methods including polysomnography, selective REM sleep deprivation, spectral analysis of the EEG and ECG, virtual reality exposure, and internet-based dream collection. The DNL is dedicated to the scientific study of dreaming and its disorders, to the training of graduate students, researchers and health professionals in the techniques and applications of dream science, to the development and deployment of proven methods for treating dream-related health problems, and to public education about the important role dreams and nightmares play in psychological life.
In a few words, explain what drew you to this project.
The importance of fostering more research and public awareness in this area. The innovative approach of the principal investigators.
Websites:
Twitter: @mangotore
Q & A
How would you describe your relationship to sleep?
Sleep is a royal road to access dreams and my life work is the study of dreaming
Are you an early bird or night owl?
Night owl
Do you enjoy taking naps? Why / why not?
Yes, very much; naps are a rich source of dream imagery and a powerful new laboratory tool.
What is the strangest place you have ever fallen asleep?
In the dentist’s chair during a root canal.
Do you have a memory of a particularly good or bad night’s sleep?
As a young adult, hitch-hiking around western NA I and a friend, in the dark, unrolled our sleeping bags on an ant hill; we only discovered in the morning why we had been itching, scratching, tossing and turning all night long.
Do you have a recurring dream, or have you ever had any particularly notable recurring dreams?
Younger, it was airplane crash dreams; later on it was being late to check out of my hotel and get to the airport.
Do you keep a dream journal? Any tips for someone who would like to start one?
Yes. Record the most personally important ones, and include memory sources.
Do you use a sleep monitoring app. If so, which and why?
Fitbit HR Alta; to log sleep hours.