An observatory on changes in dreaming during a pandemic: a living systematic review (part 1).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, dreaming became more intense, with changes in dream recall and nightmare frequency, and the emergence of 'pandemic dreams'. A living systematic review of 71 eligible papers published up to February 2022 found that lockdowns were associated with heightened oneiric activity, alterations in the dreaming-waking-life continuum, and a role for dreaming as an emotional regulator. These findings suggest that monitoring changes in dreaming can provide important information about psychological health and may contribute to understanding the effects of collective trauma on sleep and dreaming.

Study at a glance

Abstract

A 'new' way of dreaming has emerged during the pandemic, enhancing the interest of psychological literature. Indeed, during the years of the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many studies have investigated dream-related phenomena and dreaming functions. Considering the constant and rapid emergence of new results on this topic, the main aim of this study was to create an 'observatory' on the short- and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on dreaming, by means of a living systematic review. The baseline results are presented, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement guidelines, to identify and discuss existing studies about dreams and dreaming during the COVID-19 pandemic published until February 2022. Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and PubMed were used for the search strategy, yielding 71 eligible papers included in the review. Our results show: (a) a more intense oneiric activity during lockdown; (b) changes in dreaming components (especially dream-recall and nightmare frequency); (c) a particular dreaming scenario ('pandemic dreams'); (d) an alteration of the dreaming-waking-life continuum and a specific function of dreaming as emotional regulator. Findings suggest that monitoring changes in dreaming provides important information about psychological health and could also contribute to the debate on the difficulties of dreaming, as well as sleeping, in particular during and after a period of 'collective trauma'.