Sleep and Dreaming during a Pandemic: A Sample of Young Canadians

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to profound changes in personal and professional activities, increased levels of stress, and negatively impacted general well-being. These factors and experiences are often related to lower sleep quality and can influence the emotional tone and content of dreaming. Here, we used an online survey to evaluate subjective changes in well-being, sleep quality and timing, as well as dream tone and content during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results (n = 658) revealed significant changes in sleep timing since the onset of COVID-19, including later bedtimes and later morning waking times. Further, participants reported decreases in well-being and sleep quality, as well as increases in the intensity and negativity of dreams during the pandemic. Interestingly, about half (50.5 %) of the sample reported experiencing specific COVID-related content during dreaming with about a quarter (27.1%) experiencing this content as frequently as once a month or more. Together, our findings document the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on general well-being, sleep, and dream content. Given the well-documented benefits of sleep, the changes in sleep patterns and quality noted here constitute a potential target to improve functioning and health status during periods of elevated stress (e.g., during the pandemic).