Can audiobooks influence our dreams?

The experiences we have in our daily lives may shape the content of our dreams, according to a new study. — fizkes/Shutterstock/AFP Relaxnews

Dreaming is a form of brain activity that's as fascinating as it is mysterious to the scientific community. So much so that researchers are still unable to understand with any certainty what inspires our dreams. However, a new study suggests that audiobooks could have an effect on shaping what we dream about.

Researchers at the German Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen have discovered that listening to an audiobook at bedtime can affect the listener's brain activity, and even the content of their dreams. They reached this conclusion after conducting an experiment with 20 participants, aged between 20 and 30. They were asked to listen to various audiobooks before going to bed, including adaptations of Agatha Christie's thriller "The Mystery of the Blue Train" and Cornelia Funke's young adult fantasy novel, "Inkheart."