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

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

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• 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