“In other words, the seismic map mostly overlapped that of sleep disturbances.” “Not surprisingly, some years ago when we studied survivors of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake, we found that sleep disorders and also nightmares strictly depended on the proximity to the epicenter,” says Luigi De Gennaro, a professor of physiological psychology at the University of Rome who is working on the Italian coronavirus study. Many of the subjects are experiencing nightmares and parasomnias in line with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. A different study promoted by Associazione Italiana di Medicina del Sonno (the Italian Association of Sleep Medicine) is analyzing the dreams of Italians confined during the outbreak. People closer to the pandemic threat-health-care workers, those living in epicenters, and those with affected family members-are more likely to experience outbreak-influenced dreams.Īccording to an ongoing study the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center in France initiated in March, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a 35 percent increase in dream recall among participants, with respondents reporting 15 percent more negative dreams than usual. Latent emotions and memories from the previous day can also influence the content of dreams and one’s emotional response within the dream itself. Frequent awakenings, also called parasomnias, are associated with increased dream recall.
For one, anxiety and lack of activity decrease sleep quality. Living through the coronavirus pandemic might be changing that due to heightened isolation and stress, influencing the content of dreams and allowing some dreamers to remember more of them. Though these processes happen nightly, most people don’t typically remember their dreams. The result is known as “emotional disinhibition,” a state in which emotions flood the consciousness, especially during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, when we typically dream. Psychedelics activate nerve receptors called serotonin 5-HT2A, which then turn off a part of the brain called the dorsal prefrontal cortex. The neurobiological signals and reactions that produce dreams are similar to those triggered by psychedelic drugs, according to McNamara. “Obviously, this pandemic is producing a lot of stress and anxiety.” Epicenter trippingĭuring our dream states, stress sends the brain on a trip. “We normally use REM sleep and dreams to handle intense emotions, particularly negative emotions,” says Patrick McNamara, an associate professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine who is an expert in dreams. In Weller’s case, his long-time obsession with comics came together with his constant scrolling through political posts on Twitter to concoct a surreal scene that he interpreted as a commentary on the world’s economic anxieties.Īt least five research teams at institutions across multiple countries are collecting examples such as Weller’s, and one of their findings so far is that pandemic dreams are being colored by stress, isolation, and changes in sleep patterns-a swirl of negative emotions that set them apart from typical dreaming. With hundreds of millions of people sheltering at home during the coronavirus pandemic, some dream experts believe that withdrawal from our usual environments and daily stimuli has left dreamers with a dearth of “inspiration,” forcing our subconscious minds to draw more heavily on themes from our past. Nightmares, on the other hand, can be warning signs of anxieties that we might not otherwise perceive in our waking lives. Bizarre dreams laden with symbolism allow some dreamers to overcome intense memories or everyday psychological stressors within the safety of their subconscious.
Science has long suggested that dream content and emotions are connected to wellbeing while we’re awake. He is one of many people around the world-including more than 600 featured in just one study-who say they are experiencing a new phenomenon: coronavirus pandemic dreams. The long-dead president escorted Weller to a comic book shop stocked with every title Weller had ever wanted, but before he could make a purchase, Reagan swiped his wallet and skipped out the door. Ronald Reagan pulled up to the curb in a sleek black town car, rolled down his tinted window, and beckoned for Lance Weller, author of the novel Wilderness, to join him.
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