Why the Coronavirus Is Giving Us Strange Dreams

Vocabulary

psychologist
Noun
saɪˈkɑːlədʒɪst
an expert in the human mind and how it works
It can take almost ten years to become a fully trained psychologist.

terrorist
Adjective
ˈterərɪst
using violence or the threat of violence for political purposes
After the terrorist attacks, it was common to see armed soldiers on patrol in the streets.

trauma
Noun
ˈtrɔːmə
a very painful or upsetting experience; a mental health condition caused by a very painful or
upsetting experience
They still haven't recovered from the trauma of being mugged.

frontline
Adjective
ˈfrʌntlaɪn
relating to or involved in the forefront of an activity, action, etc.
The pandemic has taken a toll on frontline workers, especially doctors and police officers.

post-traumatic stress disorder

Noun
ˌpəʊst trəˌmætɪk ˈstres dɪsɔːrdər
a mental health condition caused by a frightening or shocking experience
It's common for former soldiers to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

nightmare
Noun
ˈnaɪtmɛr
a scary or unpleasant dream
Watching scary movies can give you nightmares.
Article
Why the Coronavirus Is Giving Us Strange Dreams

Many people have reported that they are having very strange dreams during the
coronavirus pandemic, and experts say there are good reasons for this.

Dr. Deirdre Barrett, a psychologist from Harvard University, has been using an online
survey to collect records of people's dreams, and she says our dreams are being
affected by fear and changes in how we sleep.

Barrett knows a lot about how world events can affect dreams: she studied dreams
after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and says trauma is again changing how people dream.

She told NBC that doctors, nurses and other frontline workers are reporting dreams
involving very stressful situations, like not being able to save patients. But she says
that for other people, because the virus is invisible, they are dreaming of other
things like natural disasters to represent it.

However, she said that it isn't just fear giving people more strange dreams.
Americans are generally sleeping more during lockdown, and they aren't using alarm
clocks as much in the morning, which Barrett says makes it more likely that they are
dreaming right before they wake up.

And it's not just Americans having unusual dreams. A survey by the Lyon
Neuroscience Research Center in France found that the coronavirus has caused a
35% increase in people being able to remember dreams, and 15% of respondents
said they were having more bad dreams.

Another study supported by the Italian Association of Sleep Medicine has found that
Italians in lockdown are having bad dreams similar to those had by people with post-
traumatic stress disorder.

So how can people have better dreams during the pandemic? Barrett said that one
thing people can do is think of something nice they'd like to dream about before
they go to bed. It might not work every time, but it can help change a nightmare into
something a little more pleasant.