Covid-19 Short, Mid and Long-Term Effects of Sleeping with the Enemy: COVID-19 and Its Aftermath

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 December 2021) | Viewed by 5087

Special Issue Editors

École de Psychologie and Centre d'Étude des Troubles du Sommeil, Université Laval, Ste-Foy, QC G1K 7P4, Canada
Interests: sleep; sleep disorders; insomnia; dreams; nightmares; depression; anxiety; treatment; COMISA; sleep deprivation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
Interests: sleep; sleep disorders; insomnia; lockdown; social support; dreams; nightmares; economic status; shift work; physical activity; comorbidities; depression; anxiety; treatment; COMISA; sleep deprivation

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues and friends,

Sleep is universal—it is something that impacts all people around the world. Likewise, the COVID-19 pandemic has been universal, in that it has touched all of our lives. For some, the impacts have been almost imperceptible; for others, they have been devastating. It is not surprising that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted sleep-related health and behavior. Yet, there is much to learn scientifically about how a population responds to a pandemic in terms of sleep habits, how those changes to sleep are associated with relevant health outcomes, and how sleep health plays an important role in the pandemic stories told by people around the world.

Unlike any other crisis before, COVID-19 had—and is still having—an undisputable effect on our lives. For the billions of people affected directly or indirectly by the pandemic, many of them will still have to deal with its aftermath consequences. While lockdown was mandatory and the lack of social contacts were indicated, first-line workers were faced with multiple stresses, at times different than those encountered in the general population.

One aspect of our lives which has been deeply misaligned is our sleep. Although some individuals recuperated at the beginning of lockdown, others had their sleep difficulties worsen or even developed some after suffering from the coronavirus. Recognizing that sleep is a basic human need, and that cognitive, physical and mental health are tributary of good sleep quality, how the pandemic affected our sleep, is still affecting it and how it will in the long term is a major concern in our lives.

Papers have already been published on sleep as it relates to the pandemic. However, this Special Issue will deal with themes of sleep difficulties, in all different populations and workers’ groups. We thus wish to target sleep and cognitive activity (daily and nightly) as well as papers dealing with the role of co-morbidities (psychological and medical) as well as socio-cultural/environmental aspects which did, still and will influence sleep and dreams in relation to the pandemic.

Do you have data in epidemiology, economics, comparative and/or treatment studies? If you have data in imaging, PSG, actigraphy or any objective measures of sleep related to the pandemic, they are also welcome. Finally, if you have data on sleep on patients who have contracted COVID-19 and immediate families, this Special Issue also welcomes your work.

Please share with colleagues, as they—and we—are looking forward to reading your work!

Prof. Dr. Célyne Bastien
Dr. Michael Grandner
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Sleep
  • sleep disorders
  • insomnia
  • lockdown
  • social support
  • survey
  • dreams
  • nightmares
  • ethnicity
  • economic status
  • shift work
  • physical activity
  • comorbidities
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • treatment
  • COMISA
  • sleep deprivation

 

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1039 KiB  
Communication
Longitudinal Analysis Evaluating Self-Reported CPAP Use for OSA during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Taylor Torrence Teague, Ahmad Debian, Manasa Kokonda, Sonal Malhotra, Emily Arentson-Lantz, Fidaa Shaib and Sara Nowakowski
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(2), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12020131 - 19 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2269
Abstract
Continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) is a highly effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but CPAP adherence remains suboptimal. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered sleep medicine services and aspects of daily living for sleep medicine patients, which may further compromise CPAP [...] Read more.
Continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) is a highly effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but CPAP adherence remains suboptimal. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered sleep medicine services and aspects of daily living for sleep medicine patients, which may further compromise CPAP adherence. Sleep medicine patients were distributed an online survey at baseline and six months later (January–May 2021). Participants answered questions regarding CPAP use (any changes in CPAP use, sleep quality with CPAP use, CPAP use as advised, and changes in daily habits). Eighty-one adults completed the baseline survey, and 54 adults completed the follow-up survey. Twenty-seven participants reported a diagnosis of OSA and were prescribed CPAP (mean age 58 ± 18.2 years, 48% female, 67% Caucasian). Longitudinal analysis with chi-square association testing showed significant changes in CPAP use as advised and significant improvements in sleep quality with CPAP use when comparing the baseline to six-month follow-up survey. Additionally, logistic regression was performed to determine if pre-pandemic sleep study results (apnea-hypopnea index and respiratory disturbance index) predicted self-reported CPAP use during the pandemic, though no association was found. Throughout the pandemic, sleep medicine patients improved their CPAP use as advised and reported significant improvements in sleep quality with CPAP use. Full article
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14 pages, 871 KiB  
Article
Measuring the Effects of Social Isolation and Dissatisfaction on Depressive Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Role of Sleep and Physical Activity
by Ivan Vargas, Erin Kaye Howie, Alexandria Muench and Michael L. Perlis
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(11), 1449; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11111449 - 30 Oct 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2080
Abstract
Social distancing was universally implemented to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Long-term social distancing can lead to increased feelings of social isolation or dissatisfaction with one’s daily interpersonal interactions, which can subsequently result in reduced psychological health (e.g., greater depression). The [...] Read more.
Social distancing was universally implemented to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Long-term social distancing can lead to increased feelings of social isolation or dissatisfaction with one’s daily interpersonal interactions, which can subsequently result in reduced psychological health (e.g., greater depression). The present study quantified this association, and the extent to which it was moderated by measures of sleep and physical activity, by surveying 3658 adults (mean age = 46.0 years) from across the United States. Participants answered questions related to their social experiences, sleep, physical activity, and depressive symptoms during the early stages of the pandemic (March–June 2020). Results showed that social isolation and social dissatisfaction were associated with greater depressive symptoms. As predicted, self-reported sleep quality and physical activity moderated these associations, such that lower sleep quality and physical activity exacerbated their effect on depressive symptoms. Full article
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