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J Sleep Res February 2023 PMID 35699296

Strange themes in pandemic dreams: Insomnia was associated with more negative, anxious and death-related dreams during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hailey Meaklim, Malisa Burge, Flora Le, Sukjhit K Bains, William Saunders, Stephen Ghosh, Moira F Junge, Prerna Varma, Imogen C Rehm, Melinda L Jackson

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Mentions

37
Peak: 7 in Jun 2022
across 4 sources since Jun 2022

Extended reach

27,370
potential audience

Total likes

46

Video views

80

Mentions per month

Jun 2022 – Mar 2023

Where it's discussed

  • News23 articles
  • X / Twitter10 posts
  • YouTube2 videos
  • Blogs2 articles

AI synopsis

What people are saying

Most discussions express strong agreement and interest, with posts sharing personal experiences, discussing related hypotheses, and emphasizing the impact of the study, as seen in phrases like 'excited to share,' 'fascinating,' and 'important implications.' The tone is enthusiastic and emphasizes relevance to mental health, illustrating active engagement and recognition of the study’s importance.

AgreementStrong agreement

Most posters agree with the study's findings, emphasizing the connection between insomnia and distressing dreams during the pandemic.

InterestHigh interest

Posts display high interest, with discussions of new research, hypotheses, and personal relevance to pandemic sleep experiences.

EngagementHigh engagement

There is deep engagement evidenced by references to related studies, sharing links, and detailed discussions of implications.

ImpactHigh impact

The discussions highlight the perceived significance of the research in understanding mental health and sleep disturbances during stressful times.

Abstract in brief

  • The study found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals with insomnia—especially those experiencing new insomnia—had more intense and negatively charged dreams, including themes related to survival, death, and anxiety, which were linked to worsening mental health over time.
  • Participants with insomnia used more negative words to describe their dreams, and all groups showed a decrease in dream activity after three months, although dream changes remained associated with increased mental health problems.
  • These findings suggest that insomnia and related dream changes during stressful events like a pandemic could serve as important indicators of psychological distress, highlighting the potential for targeting sleep and dreaming patterns in mental health interventions.]
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Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Hailey Meaklim, PhD, DBSM
@SleepPsych_Aus · X

We are excited to share our new study! We found that people who developed #insomnia during the #COVID19 pandemic, when finally asleep, experienced more negative, anxious, and death-related #dreams than good sleepers @DrSleepPsych https://t.co/3i7fgXXxkI https://t.co/LkGyVQdzGU

Jun 17, 2022 · 32 likes · 5 shares · 4,546 followers View post →
Melinda Jackson
@DrSleepPsych · X

Did your dreams change during the pandemic? Read this interview with @TimnaJacks where I discussed the findings of our recent study on dreaming during COVID-19, led by @SleepPsych_Aus https://t.co/txrggeizGA https://t.co/kFX6yBtSte

Jun 21, 2022 · 11 likes · 2 shares · 1,344 followers View post →
Hailey Meaklim, PhD, DBSM
@SleepPsych_Aus · X

@anthonyreffi Very interesting! We also found that people with insomnia during the pandemic experienced more dreams and nightmares and had more scary/distressing dream content than good sleepers. We discuss some additional hypotheses here. https://t.co/ajb3LXyTVC

Dec 9, 2022 · 2 likes · 4,546 followers View post →
Hailey Meaklim, PhD, DBSM
@SleepPsych_Aus · X

Link to our COVID dreams paper https://t.co/ajb3LXR39K

Sep 6, 2022 · 1 like · 4,546 followers View post →
Hailey Meaklim, PhD, DBSM
@SleepPsych_Aus · X

@sphynxkennedy So cool! I am super intrigued by dreaming and working on our pandemic dreams study was the most fun I have ever had analysing data https://t.co/ajb3LXR39K

Mar 10, 2023 · 4,546 followers View post →
Hailey Meaklim, PhD, DBSM
@SleepPsych_Aus · X

RT @DrSleepPsych: Did your dreams change during the pandemic? Read this interview with @TimnaJacks where I discussed the findings of our r…

Jun 21, 2022 · 2 shares · 4,546 followers View post →

All mentions

Hailey Meaklim, PhD, DBSM
@SleepPsych_Aus · X

@sphynxkennedy So cool! I am super intrigued by dreaming and working on our pandemic dreams study was the most fun I have ever had analysing data https://t.co/ajb3LXR39K

Mar 10, 2023 · 4,546 followers View post →
Hailey Meaklim, PhD, DBSM
@SleepPsych_Aus · X

@anthonyreffi Very interesting! We also found that people with insomnia during the pandemic experienced more dreams and nightmares and had more scary/distressing dream content than good sleepers. We discuss some additional hypotheses here. https://t.co/ajb3LXyTVC

Dec 9, 2022 · 2 likes · 4,546 followers View post →
Hailey Meaklim, PhD, DBSM
@SleepPsych_Aus · X

Link to our COVID dreams paper https://t.co/ajb3LXR39K

Sep 6, 2022 · 1 like · 4,546 followers View post →
Shantha Rajaratnam
@smwrajaratnam · X

RT @DrSleepPsych: Did your dreams change during the pandemic? Read this interview with @TimnaJacks where I discussed the findings of our r…

Jun 22, 2022 · 2 shares · 1,325 followers View post →
Hailey Meaklim, PhD, DBSM
@SleepPsych_Aus · X

RT @DrSleepPsych: Did your dreams change during the pandemic? Read this interview with @TimnaJacks where I discussed the findings of our r…

Jun 21, 2022 · 2 shares · 4,546 followers View post →
Melinda Jackson
@DrSleepPsych · X

Did your dreams change during the pandemic? Read this interview with @TimnaJacks where I discussed the findings of our recent study on dreaming during COVID-19, led by @SleepPsych_Aus https://t.co/txrggeizGA https://t.co/kFX6yBtSte

Jun 21, 2022 · 11 likes · 2 shares · 1,344 followers View post →
ariel estrins
@arielestrins · X

Dear insomniacs, here's a dreamy study https://t.co/V4pWkimJIO Via https://t.co/p7J5sx5iqK

Jun 21, 2022 · 907 followers View post →
Suzanne Bergmann. LCSW
@BergmannLCSW · X

RT @SleepPsych_Aus: We are excited to share our new study! We found that people who developed #insomnia during the #COVID19 pandemic, when…

Jun 17, 2022 · 5 shares · 939 followers View post →
Hailey Meaklim, PhD, DBSM
@SleepPsych_Aus · X

We are excited to share our new study! We found that people who developed #insomnia during the #COVID19 pandemic, when finally asleep, experienced more negative, anxious, and death-related #dreams than good sleepers @DrSleepPsych https://t.co/3i7fgXXxkI https://t.co/LkGyVQdzGU

Jun 17, 2022 · 32 likes · 5 shares · 4,546 followers View post →
COVID19BrainPapers
@CoVbrain_papers · X

Strange themes in pandemic dreams: Insomnia was associated with more negative, anxious and death-related dreams during the COVID-19 pandemic https://t.co/g9jlqYz7Ev

Jun 14, 2022 · 14 followers View post →