In October 2020 the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine published a study in which Brazilian scientists from the Federal University of São Paulo assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with narcolepsy. This is a sleep disorder in which the patient experiences daytime attacks of sudden oncoming sleep, most often alternating with nighttime insomnia.
According to a study by German scientists headed by Michael Rak that was published in the journal Sleep in 2015, patients with narcolepsy are significantly more likely to be aware of themselves in their sleep than healthy people and even practicing lucid dreamers. They are also more likely to experience sleep paralysis. In a new study, 76 patients with narcolepsy answered questions about changes in sleep patterns and morning awakenings in the context of changes in lifestyle during a lockdown.
The sleep patterns of most of the participants were disrupted due to the quarantine. Symptoms such as cataplexy (temporary loss of muscle tone), sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and nocturnal awakenings intensified. Patients also reported an increase in sleep fragmentation – many of them admitted that they went to bed later or could not sleep for a long time during the day because of the pandemic measures.
Anxiety-based symptoms lead to disturbances in circadian rhythms (our biological clock), which in turn amplify the negative manifestations of sleep disturbances. And, whereas in the case of an absolutely healthy person, this can result in a benign nightmare, for a patient with narcolepsy, the consequences can be much more severe, scientists warn.
