Publications by authors named "Sergio Mota-Rolim"
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLucid dreaming (LD) is a physiological state of consciousness that occurs when dreamers become aware that they are dreaming, and may also control the oneiric content. In the general population, LD is spontaneously rare; thus, there is great interest in its induction. Here, we aim to review the literature on neuropsychopharmacological induction of LD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- 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.
Article Synopsis
- - 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
Article Synopsis
- 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.
Objective: 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 PDFRecent studies have begun to understand sleep not only as a whole-brain process but also as a complex local phenomenon controlled by specific neurotransmitters that act in different neural networks, which is called "local sleep". Moreover, the basic states of human consciousness-wakefulness, sleep onset (N1), light sleep (N2), deep sleep (N3), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep-can concurrently appear, which may result in different sleep-related dissociative states. In this article, we classify these sleep-related dissociative states into physiological, pathological, and altered states of consciousness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- 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 PDFObjective: Medical students are especially vulnerable to situations of poor sleep quality due to academic demands. The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant changes and high psychological stress, causing a great impact on this population. Here we aim to analyze the influence of the pandemic on the sleep quality of medical students.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- 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.
Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Traumatized Us Collectively? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Sleep Factors via Traumatization: A Multinational Survey.
Nat Sci Sleep
August 2022
Purpose: 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 PDFArticle Synopsis
- 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.
Article Synopsis
- * 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.
Article Synopsis
- 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.
Article Synopsis
- 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.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to explore changes in dream recall frequency (DRF) during the COVID-19 pandemic and its associations with social, health, and mental health factors.
- A survey of 19,355 individuals from 14 countries revealed that reported high DRF increased significantly during the pandemic compared to before, with factors like gender, nightmares, sleep problems, and PTSD symptoms linked to higher DRF.
- Interestingly, while depression and anxiety were initially associated with DRF, they showed a negative correlation in adjusted analyses, especially in older age groups.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep issues and mental health by documenting instances of insomnia, anxiety, and depression across 13 countries during the initial wave of the pandemic.
- - Involving over 22,000 adults, the survey revealed that 36.7% experienced insomnia symptoms, while about 17.4% had probable insomnia disorders; anxiety and depression rates were reported at 25.6% and 23.1%, respectively.
- - The findings indicated higher rates of insomnia among women, younger individuals, and residents in specific countries, with notable risk factors including prior COVID-19 infection, financial stress, prolonged confinement, and living arrangements; these trends persisted after adjusting for
Study Objectives: Individual circadian type is a ubiquitous trait defining sleep, with eveningness often associated with poorer sleep and mental health than morningness. However, it is unknown whether COVID-19 pandemic has differentially affected sleep and mental health depending on the circadian type. Here, the differences in sleep and mental health between circadian types are examined globally before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may increase the risk of severe COVID-19; however, the level of potential modulation has not yet been established. The objective of the study was to determine the association between high risk of OSA, comorbidities, and increased risk for COVID-19, hospitalization, and intensive care unit (ICU) treatment.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional population-based web survey in adults in 14 countries/regions.