The Oneiric Activity during and after the COVID-19 Total Lockdown in Italy: A Longitudinal Study.
Maurizio Gorgoni, Serena Scarpelli, Valentina Alfonsi, Ludovica Annarumma, Elisa Pellegrini, Elisabetta Fasiello, Susanna Cordone, Aurora D'Atri, Federico Salfi, Giulia Amicucci, Michele Ferrara, Mariella Pazzaglia, Luigi De Gennaro
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health March 24, 2022 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19073857 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 108 |
| Population | Participants in Italy |
| Duration | Total lockdown and post-lockdown periods |
| Topics | PTSD |
| Keywords | Covid-19 Continuity hypothesis Disruptive nocturnal behaviors Dreams Emotions Lockdown Pandemic Sleep |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key findings | Dream frequency, emotional load, vividness, bizarreness, length, and lucid dream frequency decreased from total lockdown to post-lockdown, while fear remained the most frequent dream emotion. |
Abstract
A growing body of evidence highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic affected oneiric activity. However, only a few studies have assessed the longitudinal changes in dream phenomenology during different phases of the pandemic, often focused on a limited number of dream variables. The aim of the present study was to provide an exhaustive assessment of dream features during total lockdown (TL) and a post-lockdown (PL) period characterized by eased restrictive measures in Italy. We performed a longitudinal study using a web-based survey to collect demographic, COVID-19 related, clinical, sleep, and dream data at TL and PL. Our final sample included 108 participants. The high frequency of poor sleep quality, anxiety, and depressive symptoms observed during TL remained stable at PL, while sleep latency (t = −4.09; p < 0.001) and PTSD-related disruptive nocturnal behaviors (t = −5.68; p < 0.001) exhibited a reduction at PL. A PL decrease in time spent with digital media was observed (t = −2.77; p = 0.007). We found a strong PL reduction in dream frequency (t = −5.49; p < 0.001), emotional load (t = −2.71; p = 0.008), vividness (t = −4.90; p < 0.001), bizarreness (t = −4.05; p < 0.001), length (t = −4.67; p < 0.001), and lucid dream frequency (t = −2.40; p = 0.018). Fear was the most frequently reported emotion in dreams at TL (26.9%) and PL (22.2%). Only the frequency of specific lockdown-related dream contents exhibited a reduction at PL. These findings highlight that the end of the home confinement had a strong impact on the oneiric activity, in the direction of reduced dream frequency, intensity, and lockdown-related contents. The co-occurrence of such changes with a decline in nocturnal PTSD-related symptoms, sleep latency, and time with digital media suggests an influence of post-traumatic stress levels, lifestyle modifications, and sleep pattern on dream changes during different phases of the pandemic. The stable prevalence of fear in dreams and the large frequency of poor sleep quality, depressive symptoms, and anxiety are probably related to the persistence of many negative consequences of the pandemic. Overall, these results are consistent with the continuity hypothesis of dreams.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Using Low Doses in a Small Sample of Women with Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Women with chronic PTSD secondary to sexual assault | 2008 | Observational cohort | n = 6 |
| An Ambulatory Polysomnography Study of the Post-traumatic Nightmares of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment-seeking veterans, current serving military members, and emergency service... | 2017 | Observational study using ambulatory polysomnography | n = 35 |
| Increased Mastery Elements Associated With Imagery Rehearsal Treatment for Nightmares in Sexual Assault Survivors With PTSD. Female sexual assault survivors with chronic nightmares | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 44 |
| Posttraumatic stress symptoms following near-death experiences. Persons who report near-death experiences and those who came close to death without NDEs | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Impact of oral ketamine augmentation on hospital admissions in treatment-resistant depression and PTSD: a retrospective study. Outpatients with treatment-resistant depression and PTSD | 2018 | Retrospective review | n = 37 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- The clinical neuroscience of lucid dreaming. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews January 14, 2025
- Longitudinal Findings on the Oneiric Activity Changes Across the Pandemic. Nature and Science of Sleep 2023
- Dreaming during the COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews May 25, 2022
Cites 31
- Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming Frontiers in Psychology August 18, 2015
- Amygdala and hippocampus volumetry and diffusivity in relation to dreaming Human Brain Mapping August 25, 2010
- Dreaming during the Covid-19 pandemic: Computational assessment of dream reports reveals mental suffering related to fear of contagion PLoS One November 30, 2020
- Dreaming and the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey in a U.S. sample. Dreaming September 1, 2020
- My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? Frontiers in Psychology 2019
and 26 more in the library