Nightmares and serum cholesterol level: a preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether there is a relation between nightmares and serum lipid levels. METHODS: Fifteen subjects who met DSM-IV criteria for the diagnosis of nightmare disorder and 15 healthy control subjects participated in the study. We used an enzymatic colorimetric method for cholesterol and triglyceride determination. We measured high-density lipoprotien (HDL) cholesterol using the direct HDL-cholesterol method. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was calculated according to the Friedewald formula. RESULTS: Patients with nightmare disorder had lower serum triglyceride, lower total cholesterol, and lower LDL levels than healthy control subjects. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that nightmares are associated with low serum lipid levels.