By the end of 2022, more than 650 million cases of the coronavirus had been reported to the World Health Organization, and scientists say the impact of Covid is going beyond its current symptoms, affecting sleep quality and dreams.
The most recent analysis, which is a review of all currently available scientific studies, estimates that 52 percent of people who contract the coronavirus suffer from sleep disturbances, according to a report from the “”Scientific alarm“.
Worryingly, the sleep problems sometimes continue even after recovery from the infection, according to the report. A study in China found that 26% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 showed symptoms of insomnia two weeks after discharge.
And a US study showed that people infected with corona were more likely than people who had never contracted the virus to have difficulty sleeping, according to the report.
While most people recover quickly from COVID, some continue to have long-term symptoms. It appears that people with sustained covid are most likely to have lingering sleep problems.
A 2021 study surveyed more than 3,000 people with long-term COVID-19. Nearly 80% of participants reported sleep problems and, most commonly, insomnia.
Loss of deep sleep is especially concerning, as this type of sleep reduces fatigue and improves concentration and memory. Lack of sound sleep may be partly responsible for the “brain fog” that is commonly reported during and after Covid.
The International Covid Sleep Study, a global research project involving sleep scientists from 14 countries, recently released its findings on dreams.
The study asked infected and uninfected participants about their dreams. Both groups had more dreams after the pandemic started than before.
Interestingly, infected participants experienced more nightmares than uninfected participants, whereas there was no difference between groups before the pandemic.
There’s no simple explanation for why being infected with Corona can lead to an increase in nightmares, but mental health could play a role again. Poor mental health is often accompanied by nightmares.
And the International Sleep Study team found that the covid-infected group showed more symptoms of anxiety and depression.
