Publications by authors named "Holzinger B"
Background: Preliminary data suggests that obesity might hasten the decline in mRNA vaccine-induced immunity against SARS-CoV-2. However, whether this renders individuals with obesity more susceptible to long COVID symptoms post-vaccination remains uncertain. Given sleep's critical role in immunity, exploring the associations between obesity, probable long COVID symptoms, and sleep disturbances is essential.
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- A study aimed to explore the prevalence of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before, hypothesizing that existing symptoms worsened and new symptoms emerged due to pandemic-related stressors.
- An online survey conducted from May to August 2020 included 17,846 adults across 15 countries and found that RLS symptoms increased significantly during the pandemic (9.1%) compared to pre-pandemic levels (5.4%).
- Factors like insomnia severity, younger age, social restrictions, financial difficulties, and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, were strongly linked to both existing and new-onset RLS symptoms during the pandemic.
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- - Accurate measurement of habitual sleep duration (HSD) is important for linking sleep to health, and this study compared two self-report methods (Method-Self and Method-MCTQ) to identify bias based on sleep quality (SQ) and social jetlag (SJL).
- - The findings from 10,268 participants indicated that Method-Self typically reported HSD as 42.41 minutes lower than Method-MCTQ, with greater bias observed in those with poorer sleep quality; the two methods exhibited very poor agreement overall.
- - The study suggests that including questions about sleep quality in surveys could help reduce estimation bias and improve the reliability of sleep-related health research, especially given the systematic errors found between the two methods examined
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- The study explores how self-rated health (SRH) relates to sleep patterns in people who had COVID-19, suggesting that COVID-19 negatively impacts SRH and sleep quality.
- Participants from 16 countries were surveyed, with findings indicating that those infected with COVID-19 reported lower SRH scores, especially if their illness was severe.
- Changes in sleep duration after infection—both decreases and increases—were significantly linked to lower SRH scores, as well as increased fatigue and other health issues, highlighting the importance of sleep in recovery.
Progress in the field of insomnia since 2017 necessitated this update of the European Insomnia Guideline. Recommendations for the diagnostic procedure for insomnia and its comorbidities are: clinical interview (encompassing sleep and medical history); the use of sleep questionnaires and diaries (and physical examination and additional measures where indicated) (A). Actigraphy is not recommended for the routine evaluation of insomnia (C), but may be useful for differential-diagnostic purposes (A).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: There is evidence of a strong association between insomnia and COVID-19, yet few studies have examined the relationship between insomnia and long COVID. This study aimed to investigate whether COVID-19 patients with pre-pandemic insomnia have a greater risk of developing long COVID and whether long COVID is in turn associated with higher incident rates of insomnia symptoms after infection.
Methods: Data were collected cross-sectionally (May-Dec 2021) as part of an international collaborative study involving participants from 16 countries.
Study Objectives: Preliminary evidence suggests that the risk of Long COVID is higher among people with pre-existing medical conditions. Based on its proven adjuvant role in immunity, habitual sleep duration may alter the risk of developing Long COVID. The objective of this study was to determine whether the odds of Long COVID are higher among those with pre-existing medical conditions, and whether the strength of this association varies by habitual sleep duration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) being the first-line intervention for the disorder, it is often not readily available to patients in need. The stepped care model (SCM) represents an approach to facilitating efficient and wide-ranging provision of evidence-based care to those with insomnia. The SCM reflects a pyramid of therapeutics based on CBT-I gradually increasing in clinical intensity and addressing clinical complexity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Sleep paralysis and lucid dreams are two states of consciousness that are connected to REM sleep but are defined by higher awareness in contrast to regular REM sleep. Despite these similarities, the two states differ widely in their emotional tone and their perceived controllability. This review aims to summarize the current research containing sleep paralysis and lucid dreams.
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- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted sleep patterns, increasing instances of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), excessive quantity of sleep (EQS), and fatigue among people globally.
- A study involving nearly 18,785 participants showed that EDS rose from 17.9% to 25.5% and fatigue from 19.4% to 28.3% during the pandemic, particularly in those who reported having contracted COVID-19.
- Key predictors for EDS and fatigue included shorter-than-desired sleep duration, depressive symptoms, use of sleep medications, and a history of COVID-19, pointing to the need for effective prevention and treatment strategies for related long-term conditions.
Short nighttime sleep duration impairs the immune response to virus vaccination, and long nighttime sleep duration is associated with poor health status. Thus, we hypothesized that short (<6 h) and long (>9 h) nighttime sleepers have a higher post-COVID risk than normal nighttime sleepers, despite two doses of mRNA vaccine (which has previously been linked to lower odds of long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms). Post-COVID was defined as experiencing at least one core COVID-19 symptom for at least three months (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study had two main aims. First, to investigate whether shift/night workers had a higher prevalence and severity of COVID-19 compared with day workers. Second, to investigate whether people regularly working in face-to-face settings during the pandemic exhibited a higher prevalence and severity of COVID-19 compared with those having no need to be in close contact with others at work.
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- Recent studies indicate that many individuals experiencing long-term symptoms after COVID-19 (long-COVID) report significant changes in their sleep patterns and dream experiences.
- The research, involving 383 participants from Italy, found that those with long-COVID showed poorer sleep quality and higher rates of insomnia, nightmares, and daytime sleepiness compared to those with short-COVID.
- Factors such as age, psychological status, and the number of persistent symptoms were identified as key contributors to these sleep disturbances in long-COVID patients.
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- Many individuals experience long-COVID or post-acute sequelae, but definitions and prevalence are still being studied.
- A study with over 13,600 participants from various countries found that severe COVID-19 cases, particularly those requiring hospitalization, showed higher prevalence of long-lasting symptoms.
- Key symptoms include fatigue, insomnia, and excessive daytime sleepiness, highlighting the need for attention to sleep-related issues in diagnosing and treating long-COVID.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed people's lives all over the world. While anxiety and stress decreased sleep quality for most people, an increase in total sleep time was also observed in certain cohorts. Dream recall frequency also increased, especially for nightmares.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The COVID-19 pandemic affects mental health and sleep, resulting in frequent nightmares. Therefore, identifying factors associated with nightmare frequency is important, as it can indicate mental health issues. The study aimed to investigate increases in nightmare frequency comparing the pre-pandemic and pandemic period, and identify its risk factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a huge impact on public mental health. This was also reflected in dreams. Not only did people start to remember more dreams, but dream content changed as themes like sickness, confinement, and-in the English-speaking world-even bugs began to dominate.
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- Increasing concerns regarding long-term effects of COVID-19 include reports of parkinsonism and changes in sleep patterns, particularly associated with REM sleep.
- A study conducted online from May to August 2020 included over 26,000 participants and assessed dream-enactment behaviors linked to REM sleep behavior disorder, finding a higher prevalence among those who had COVID-19.
- Results indicated that dream-enactment behaviors were more common in younger males and were associated with several factors, including smoking, alcohol use, and PTSD symptoms, suggesting a need for further investigation into COVID-19's potential neurodegenerative effects.
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- * Results indicated that while dream recall was similar between the groups, COVID-19 patients experienced significantly more nightmares during the pandemic compared to controls, and had higher levels of anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms.
- * The study concluded that various psychological factors, including the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and sleep quality, are linked to increased nightmare frequency in those affected by the virus.
This protocol paper describes the second survey produced by the International Covid Sleep Study (ICOSS) group with the aim to examine the associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and sleep, sleepiness, and circadian problems as potential predisposing factors for more severe COVID-19 disease profile and for development of Long-COVID in the general population. The survey consists of 47 questions on sleep, daytime sleepiness, circadian rhythm, health, mental wellbeing, life habits, and socioeconomic situation before and during the pandemic, and conditional questions to those reporting having had coronavirus infection, being vaccinated, or suffering from particular sleep symptoms or sleep disorders. Surveys will be administered online between May and November 2021 in Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and USA.
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- The study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep and daytime functioning globally, as no prior research had tackled this issue.
- Conducted through a large-scale international survey involving 25,484 participants from 14 countries between May and August 2020, it evaluated various sleep-related problems before and during the pandemic.
- Results indicated a significant deterioration in sleep quality and daytime function, with approximately 60% of respondents facing worsening conditions and financial stress further exacerbating these issues, although some reported improvements in sleep.
In this case report, we explain the story of a woman diagnosed with severe PTSD, suffering from recurrent nightmares involving a traumatizing event. She participated in 6 week lucid dreaming training to help her reduce her nightmare frequency. Our descriptions include her dream reports as well as the results of the psychological assessment conducted.
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- The COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes in lifestyle and work habits, impacting sleep timing and potentially increasing the risk of insomnia symptoms.
- In a survey of nearly 15,000 participants across 14 countries, researchers analyzed the relationship between social jetlag (the difference in sleep timing on work vs. free days) and insomnia symptoms, controlling for various confounding factors.
- Results showed that both increases and decreases in social jetlag were linked to later sleep times and higher rates of insomnia symptoms, particularly among those who reduced their social jetlag, suggesting that stability in sleep/wake timing is crucial for preventing insomnia.