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Advanced Neurology The rising impact of sleep disorders in the post-pandemic era

Table 4. Analysis of sleep disorders pre‑ and post‑COVID‑19
Pre‑COVID‑19 Post‑COVID‑19 References
Insomnia was a prevalent sleep disorder both Studies have revealed that although some individuals with Yuan et al.
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before and during COVID-19. pre-existing sleep disorders or poor sleep quality experienced
improvements during the pandemic, others experienced
disruptions or worsened sleep, particularly during periods of
increased stress or anxiety.
- Some individuals may have experienced a decline in their sleep Gao and Scullin
12
quality due to the pandemic, potentially due to disorders such
as insomnia, sleep apnea, or sleep-related anxiety. Certain
studies suggest that the psychological impact of the pandemic
contributed to these sleep disturbances.
- These alterations are consistent with sleep pattern disturbances, Batool-Anwar et al.
13
which may indicate various sleep disorders, including insomnia,
hypersomnia, or circadian rhythm disorders.
Although the text does not identify a specific sleep The alterations include delayed sleep–wake schedules, increased Dai et al.
14
disorder, the symptoms described align with issues sleep duration, and prolonged sleep latency. Although the
such as insomnia (difficulty falling or staying text does not specify a particular sleep disorder diagnosed
asleep), circadian rhythm disorders (delayed sleep– post-COVID-19, these symptoms are indicative of various
wake patterns), and sleep disturbances caused by potential sleep issues.
increased stress and anxiety.
- Commonly reported sleep disturbances that have persisted Alzueta et al. 15
for over 12 months post-COVID-19 include newly diagnosed
insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome.
The female sex is linked to somatic pre-sleep Comorbid sleep pathologies render individuals more susceptible Gorgoni et al. 16
arousal, indicating potential sex-specific to sleep disturbances associated with specific pandemic-related
vulnerabilities in mental health. Women generally factors.
report higher rates of insomnia and greater stress
and emotional reactivity. In addition, the absence
or interruption of work before COVID-19 was
associated with elevated somatic pre-sleep arousal,
indicating that employment status can affect mental
health and sleep quality.
In a large U.S. sample studied before the pandemic, - Yuksel et al.
17
although women exhibited more insomnia
symptoms and lower sleep self-efficacy than men,
overall sleep health did not differ by sex.
Sleep-related difficulties included problems with After the COVID-19 outbreak, the study noted an increase Robillard et al. 18
sleep initiation, maintenance, and early morning in clinically meaningful sleep-related difficulties, such as
awakenings; however, specific sleep disorders an increased prevalence of sleep initiation problems, sleep
or diagnoses were not identified in the provided maintenance issues, and early morning awakenings.
excerpt.
The excerpt refers to specific sleep disorders, The excerpt describes four distinct profiles of sleep pattern Petrov et al.
19
such as insomnia and depressive symptoms, but alterations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: delayed
it lacks comprehensive information regarding the sleep, dysregulated and distressed, sleep opportunist, and sleep
occurrence of these disorders before the onset of lost and fragmented.
COVID-19.

clinical outcomes if they develop COVID-19. Beyond these nightmares, heightened dream recall, and parasomnia.
factors, OSA itself induces sleep deprivation, which can Liu et al. highlighted that patients with COVID-19
dysregulate the immune system, exacerbate hypoxia induced exhibited a higher prevalence of dream enactment
by COVID-19, and disrupt the renin–angiotensin system, behaviors, which correlated with the severity of their
thereby increasing susceptibility to severe infection. 23 illness. This indicates that there is a need for further
In addition, the pandemic resulted in significant research to explore the potential neurodegenerative
alterations in dream activity, including an increase in effects of COVID-19. 23

Volume 4 Issue 1 (2025) 18 doi: 10.36922/an.4006