SLEEP, DREAMS, MOOD STATES AND PERFORMANCE IN NATIONAL EXAMINATION FOR ENTRY TO HIGHER EDUCATION
Sleep; dreams; mood states; academic performance;
The construction of the dream narrative involves the combination of different memory fragments. One of the theories about dreams, from a Darwinian evolutionary perspective, suggests that, in ancestral environments, dreams served as a safe space to simulate threats encountered during wakefulness, providing a survival advantage. Another theory proposes that dreams play a fundamental role in emotional regulation through neuropsychological mechanisms, particularly in controlling emotions such as fear. During sleep, especially in the REM phase, modulations of neural circuits occur, linked to the gene expression of experiences lived during wakefulness, facilitating the formation and consolidation of memories. This sleep phase is characterized by a higher frequency of complex dreams. In this context, dream content can serve as a useful marker to understand the relationship between significant waking events and the dreamer’s emotional and cognitive states. Phase delay, typical of adolescence, promotes a tendency toward eveningness, creating a mismatch between the biological clock and social demands, such as school schedules, which may lead to behavioral issues and impair academic performance. This study analyzed the relationship between sleep, dreams, mood states, habits, the pandemic, and academic performance among young individuals during a national exam. Some participants used actigraphy devices (wristwatch-like monitors) to track rest-activity patterns during the exam period. Dream reports were collected and analyzed in terms of frequency and emotional valence. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistical procedures, such as analyses of variance with post-hoc tests, multiple linear regression models, and generalized linear models (GLM), including Poisson regression. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to group patterns of variables related to sleep (sleep quality, chronotype, daytime sleepiness, and social jetlag), dreams, mood states, and academic performance. The findings indicate a prevalence of negative dreams before the first exam day, which may align with the emotional regulation theory of dreams. Additionally, poor sleep quality and negative dreams during the previous month emerged as key predictors of exam performance, along with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on sleep routines. This study provides insights into the need for interventions aimed at promoting better sleep health and emotional regulation in young populations, particularly in high-pressure contexts such as selective exams, contributing to the understanding of the interaction between neurobiological and emotional aspects in academic performance.