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 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Longitudinal Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 611 |
| Population | Adults who completed a web survey during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Duration | December 2020 to January 2021 |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Covid-19 Lockdown Lucid dreams Nightmares Pandemic Second wave Sleep |
| Citations | 23 |
| Key findings | During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, dream recall, nightmare frequency, lucid-dream frequency, emotional intensity, and nightmare distress were lower than during the first wave, while dreams had a more negative tone. |
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.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years | 2002 | Prospective observational study | n = 116 |
| Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... | 1987 | Case-control study | n = 11 |
| The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 147 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- What about dreams? State of the art and open questions Journal of Sleep Research April 13, 2022
- The Oneiric Activity during and after the COVID-19 Total Lockdown in Italy: A Longitudinal Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health March 24, 2022
- 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
- Lucid dreaming increased during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online survey. PLoS One 2022
and 3 more in the library
Cites 15
- 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 in the time of COVID-19: A quali-quantitative Italian study. Dreaming September 1, 2020
- The impact of the end of COVID confinement on pandemic dreams, as assessed by a weekly sleep diary: a longitudinal investigation in Italy. Journal of Sleep Research February 1, 2022
- Investigation on Neurobiological Mechanisms of Dreaming in the New Decade Brain Sciences February 11, 2021
- Dream Activity in Narcoleptic Patients During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy. Frontiers in Psychology 2021
and 10 more in the library