Is COVID Affecting Your Dreams?
2020-05-12
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1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report.
2For millions of people around the world, the coronavirus pandemic has changed many daytime activities.
3For some, it also has affected their sleep.
4Fears of loss, isolation and sadness come out during sleep.
5Many say they awake feeling even more pressured and fearful.
6Experts say some pandemic dreams are about the fear of the unknown: Who is a threat? When will the pandemic end?
7Some dreams are about fearing for the safety of loved ones.
8And other dreams are about the loss of normal life.
9Mary Alice Mathison is a clergyperson in Florida.
10She dreamed 500 people showed up for a funeral at her church and would not go home.
11Ashley Trevino is out of work in Texas because of the pandemic.
12After the first COVID death in her area, she dreamed that she and her girlfriend were injected with the coronavirus by government workers.
13In Pakistan, Roha Rafiq dreamed that she was one of only 100 people left on the planet not infected with COVID-19.
14The college professor said that in her dream infected people were chasing her and the other uninfected people.
15They wanted to make the world the same for everyone.
16"I think," Rafiq later wrote on Twitter, "this anxiety has given me this dream."
17She is not alone.
18So many people are sharing their dreams that there is an online collection under the name "I Dream of COVID" on the social media website Twitter.
19Experts observe that in recorded history, humanity has rarely experienced "collective dreaming" on such a large scale in real time.
20Harvard University professor Deirdre Barrett is studying COVID dreams worldwide.
21She has collected 6,000 dreams from about 2,400 people.
22Barrett says the flu pandemic of 1918 is probably the "most comparable thing."
23But, as far as she knows no one has examples of dreams from that pandemic.
24Cathy Caruth is a professor at Cornell University.
25COVID-19 dreams, she says, are similar to the dreams of Hiroshima survivors who worried about nuclear radiation.
26They are also similar to nightmares described by soldiers from the Vietnam War.
27Some dreams are about everyday activities we can no longer do - seeing friends, attending a party, or going to the movies.
28However, that changes greatly for health workers on the front lines of the pandemic.
29Professor Barrett says she has found a common theme in their dreams.
30They are responsible for saving a person's life.
31But they are failing, and the person is about to die.
32When healthcare workers dream about their child or parent getting the virus, Barrett explains, it often does not stop there.
33The next step is finding out they gave the virus to their loved one.
34Barrett says they are having "nightmares that reenact the things" they are experiencing.
35Dr. Lisa Medalie is a sleep expert at the University of Chicago.
36She advises that it is important for people to get good sleep during the pandemic.
37On the university's website, she gives these suggestions.
38Structure your daytime schedule.
39Commit to daily activities.
40Exercise, eat and talk to family and friends at regular times.
41This will build structure to your days.
42Get alone time each day.
43Medalie suggests at least one hour of alone time each day.
44This may be hard.
45But she reminds us that spending time alone and doing something we enjoy is important.
46Create a peaceful sleep environment
47Make sure your bedroom environment is peaceful.
48Keep the room cool, dark, and quiet.
49Limit the amount of clutter and noise in your bedroom.
50Create a sleep schedule and limit daytime sleep
51Get the same amount of sleep each night.
52Most adults need seven to eight hours a night.
53And once you decide on your bedtime, stick to it.
54Also, daytime sleep should be less than 30 minutes and before 2 p.m.
55Limit screen time at night
56Turn off your electronic devices one hour before bedtime.
57Do not bring your devices into your bedroom.
58This way you will not look at COVID-19 updates during the night.
59Try breathing exercises.
60Use slow deep breaths to fall asleep or to return to sleep.
61Breathe in slowly through your nose for three seconds.
62Then breathe out slowly through your mouth for three seconds.
63And that's the Health & Lifestyle report.
64I'm Anna Matteo.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report. 2For millions of people around the world, the coronavirus pandemic has changed many daytime activities. For some, it also has affected their sleep. 3Fears of loss, isolation and sadness come out during sleep. Many say they awake feeling even more pressured and fearful. 4Experts say some pandemic dreams are about the fear of the unknown: Who is a threat? When will the pandemic end? Some dreams are about fearing for the safety of loved ones. And other dreams are about the loss of normal life. 5Mary Alice Mathison is a clergyperson in Florida. She dreamed 500 people showed up for a funeral at her church and would not go home. 6Ashley Trevino is out of work in Texas because of the pandemic. After the first COVID death in her area, she dreamed that she and her girlfriend were injected with the coronavirus by government workers. 7In Pakistan, Roha Rafiq dreamed that she was one of only 100 people left on the planet not infected with COVID-19. The college professor said that in her dream infected people were chasing her and the other uninfected people. They wanted to make the world the same for everyone. 8"I think," Rafiq later wrote on Twitter, "this anxiety has given me this dream." 9She is not alone. 10So many people are sharing their dreams that there is an online collection under the name "I Dream of COVID" on the social media website Twitter. Experts observe that in recorded history, humanity has rarely experienced "collective dreaming" on such a large scale in real time. 11Harvard University professor Deirdre Barrett is studying COVID dreams worldwide. She has collected 6,000 dreams from about 2,400 people. 12Barrett says the flu pandemic of 1918 is probably the "most comparable thing." But, as far as she knows no one has examples of dreams from that pandemic. 13Cathy Caruth is a professor at Cornell University. COVID-19 dreams, she says, are similar to the dreams of Hiroshima survivors who worried about nuclear radiation. They are also similar to nightmares described by soldiers from the Vietnam War. 14Healthcare workers more at risk 15Some dreams are about everyday activities we can no longer do - seeing friends, attending a party, or going to the movies. However, that changes greatly for health workers on the front lines of the pandemic. 16Professor Barrett says she has found a common theme in their dreams. They are responsible for saving a person's life. But they are failing, and the person is about to die. 17When healthcare workers dream about their child or parent getting the virus, Barrett explains, it often does not stop there. The next step is finding out they gave the virus to their loved one. 18Barrett says they are having "nightmares that reenact the things" they are experiencing. 19Tips for getting better sleep 20Dr. Lisa Medalie is a sleep expert at the University of Chicago. She advises that it is important for people to get good sleep during the pandemic. On the university's website, she gives these suggestions. 21Structure your daytime schedule. 22Commit to daily activities. Exercise, eat and talk to family and friends at regular times. This will build structure to your days. 23Get alone time each day. 24Medalie suggests at least one hour of alone time each day. This may be hard. But she reminds us that spending time alone and doing something we enjoy is important. 25Create a peaceful sleep environment 26Make sure your bedroom environment is peaceful. Keep the room cool, dark, and quiet. Limit the amount of clutter and noise in your bedroom. 27Create a sleep schedule and limit daytime sleep 28Get the same amount of sleep each night. Most adults need seven to eight hours a night. And once you decide on your bedtime, stick to it. Also, daytime sleep should be less than 30 minutes and before 2 p.m. 29Limit screen time at night 30Turn off your electronic devices one hour before bedtime. Do not bring your devices into your bedroom. This way you will not look at COVID-19 updates during the night. 31Try breathing exercises. 32Use slow deep breaths to fall asleep or to return to sleep. Breathe in slowly through your nose for three seconds. Then breathe out slowly through your mouth for three seconds. 33And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. 34I'm Anna Matteo. 35Anna Matteo adapted this story for Learning English based on Associated Press news reports and the University of Chicago Medicine. Hai Do was the editor. 36________________________________________________________________ 37Words in This Story 38isolation - n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others 39anxiety - n. fear or nervousness about what might happen 40scale - n. a distinctive relative size, extent, or degree 41nightmare - n. a frightening dream that usually awakens the sleeper 42theme - n. a particular subject or issue that is discussed often or repeatedly 43clutter - n. a large amount of things that are not arranged in a neat or orderly way or a crowded or disordered collection of things 44stick to it - phrasal verb to continue doing or using (something) especially when it is difficult to do so