This Is Your Brain on Coronavirus Dreams
Vivid dreaming is on the rise as stressed-out brains encounter a mix of sleep, uncertainty, and survival
The week before New York’s stay-at-home order, I dreamed I was at a party on a ship. Tables stacked with desserts were ringed by people I knew and liked from every stage of my life. A motley crew drawn from my subconscious and my Instagram, we were all having a great time. Then the ship caught on fire. We all realized the ship was made entirely of wood, and in a panic, I woke up.
As the Covid-19 pandemic spread to the United States and people began working from home and sheltering in place, friends started telling me they were dreaming more often and more vividly: Strange sights, sounds, situations, and feelings stayed with them when they woke up. They described dreams filled with witches, coffee shops, hostage scenarios, and murder. Online, people are describing a similar experience. Often they’re asking, “Is it just me?” The answer seems to be a resounding no.
The anecdotal uptick in vivid dreams — not always nightmares — tracks with psychologists’ expectations from research on the way changes in sleep patterns affect dreaming. While research on this particular wave of dreaming can only happen with time, there’s a strong case that dreams are yet…
