Recent Sleep Patterns: Vivid Dreams, Sound Snoozes, or Disrupted Rest?

Have you recently found yourself tossing and turning, waking up groggy, or recalling dreams that seem more detailed than normal? We were curious to explore whether COVID-19 has impacted our sleep patterns and dreams so we recently surveyed 1,564 of our members aged 18+ to get the lowdown on their shuteye recently.

As for the quality of their sleep, nearly four-in-ten indicate they are sleeping less soundly than previously (37%). Notably, when it comes to dream recollection, Gen Z is the generation most apt to remember more of their dreams lately (20%).

Speaking of dreams, if you’ve dreamed about spending time with family and friends, you’re definitely not alone as this emerges as the most common topic of dreams over the last month (45%, led by females). Other common themes of recent dreams include driving or going on a trip (37%) and work-related dreams (31%).

The most common activities our respondents participate in 60-90 minutes before going to bed “all or most” nights? Watching TV or scrolling through social media (63-72%). The one ritual that might be contributing to stressful dreams? Catching up on the news; our survey revealed that those who partake in this ritual before bedtime all or most nights were more likely to dream recently about themselves and/or loved ones getting sick.

When asked to elaborate on their most memorable dreams lately, one respondent dreamt that “I finally ran my first half marathon and finished without getting injured. My running buddies were there cheering me on and making sure I finished.” Other recollections include:

“My most vivid dream I had last month was related to my recent wedding. I dreamt that everyone went to the wedding but couldn’t find the right place to go and got lost before the ceremony. I was panicking and worried no one would be around for the ceremony and yelling at my sister and mom to find everyone and gather them up before they missed it all.” (Female 35-39)

“The most vivid dream I had is when I dreamt that I was running through my job and my teeth kept on falling out! I was pulling the teeth from my mouth because they were just dangling in my mouth. No one at work talked about my teeth because they said I was not losing teeth then I felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety because then I doubted myself and thought I was overreacting.” (Female 30-34)

“The most vivid dream that I had recently was my family driving down the highway and suddenly the trunk of our car opened up while we were driving over 60 miles per hour. All of our belongings were flying out the back of the car while we were trying to hold on to the seats and our belongings.” (Male 30-34)

“It involved shopping for food and having it disappear.” (Male, 40-49)

What activities are people spending more time on during this new era? Check out our dedicated feed of timely content!