Dreams and Nightmares during the First and Second Wave of the COVID-19 Infection: A Longitudinal Study.
Serena Scarpelli, Valentina Alfonsi, Maurizio Gorgoni, Alessandro Musetti, Maria Filosa, Maria C Quattropani, Vittorio Lenzo, Elena Vegni, Lidia Borghi, Giorgia Margherita, Maria Francesca Freda, Emanuela Saita, Roberto Cattivelli, Gianluca Castelnuovo, Tommaso Manari, Giuseppe Plazzi, Luigi De Gennaro, Christian Franceschini
Brain sciences October 20, 2021 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111375
Summary
During the second wave of COVID-19, 611 participants reported notable shifts in their dreaming patterns. Dream-recall frequency dropped by 20%, while nightmares and lucid dreams decreased significantly. Emotional intensity and nightmare distress also fell, with dreams displaying a more negative tone. Additionally, correlations emerged between dream characteristics and pandemic-related stressors, such as job changes and mental health needs. Overall, the second wave resulted in fewer quantitative dream features and less emotional impact, highlighting the complex relationship between sleep and pandemic experiences.
Abstract
Recent literature shows that the Coronovirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has provoked significant changes in dreaming. The current study intends to provide an update about dream variable changes during the second wave of COVID-19. A total of 611 participants completed a web survey from December 2020 to January 2021. Statistical comparisons showed that subjects had lower dream-recall frequency, nightmare frequency, lucid-dream frequency, emotional intensity, and nightmare distress during the second than the first wave of the pandemic. Dreams had a higher negative tone during the second than first wave. We revealed significant differences concerning post-traumatic growth, sleep-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and sleep measures between groups obtained as a function of the changes in the oneiric frequency between the first and second waves. We also found significant correlations between qualitative/emotional dream features and COVID-19-related factors (job change, forced quarantine, having COVID-19 infected relatives/friends, or asking for mental health help). Overall, we found that the second wave affected fewer quantitative features of dream activity and there was less emotional intensity. Moreover, we confirmed the relationship between nightmares and the high risk of PTSD when subjects were grouped as a function of the increasing/decreasing frequency. Finally, our findings are partly coherent with the continuity hypothesis between oneiric and waking experiences.