Sleep Disorders in Post-COVID Syndrome: A Psychiatric or Neurological Problem?

The coronavirus pandemic that began in 2019 continues. COVID-19 adversely affects human health not only in the acute, but also in the long-term period of the disease: in a large percentage of cases, health is not fully restored after long periods, requires medical intervention, and is often difficult to correct. Researchers noted during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020 that about 10-20% of patients did not fully recover by three weeks from disease onset and the possible duration of the recovery period remains insufficiently clear, as do the reasons for differences in course during this period. Prolonged recovery after viral infection is not a feature exclusive to COVID-19, which does not facilitate the management of patients with post-COVID syndrome (PCS). The mental health impact of COVID-19 is significant, with at least 30% of recovered patients likely to have symptoms of anxiety and/or depression after the acute phase has passed. Since the onset of COVID-19, there has been an increase in sleep disorders by 42%, with every third COVID-19 survivor reporting sleep complaints. In PCS, this condition is referred to as coronasomnia. The success of therapy for this condition depends on identifying and correcting patients' mental disorders, as anxiety and depression are often accompanied by sleep disorders this results in a bidirectional interaction between mental disorders and sleep quality. This article presents data on the anti-anxiety drugs Noofen and Adaptol, which help to correct the manifestations of PCS with sleep disorders.

Information overload and sleep disorders

Due to the processes of globalization and transition to the information society their negative effects started to become apparent, namely virtually unlimited access to an abundance of information. Information overload occurs when the amount of information exceeds the perceptual abilities of accepting human being. It questions the impact of this process on health and sleep. Such phenomena as mind scrolling, communicative overload, distrust of digital security, cyber violence, digital inequality as mediators or consequences of information overload are considered. This article reviews the types of the information overload, ways of dis-seminating information, mechanisms of influence on the self-rated health and psychological condition and sleep, connections with anxiety and depression. This subject became especially relevant in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, since isolation, restriction of motor activity, and increased time spent behind the screen have become important predictors not only of sleep disorders, but also of other health problems. The article addresses the issue of subjects of studies are usually teenagers and people under 35 (generation Z), as the most active smartphones, messengers, social networks and mass media users. The problem of providing unfair information to users of social networks of different regions of residence, socio-economic levels is raised. Most scientists agree that the ways to solve the described problems are to limit the time behind the screen, the amount of content consumed per day, and compliance with sleep hygiene. Additional studies are required to determine the exact pathophysiological mechanisms of the effect of stress on sleep. © 2022, Meditsinskiy Sovet. All rights reserved.

[Sleep disorders in post-COVID syndrome - a problem of psychiatry or neurology?] / Rasstroistva sna pri postkovidnom sindrome ­ problema psikhiatrii ili nevrologii?

The pandemic of coronavirus infection, which has begun in 2019, has not ended to this day. COVID-19 adversely affects human health not only in the acute period of the disease, but also in the long-run: in a large percentage of cases, recovery takes very long, patients require and often have problems returning to their baseline. During the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, researchers noted that about 10-20% of patients didn't fully recover three weeks after the onset of the disease. It is still not clear how long the recovery period can last, and what are the reasons of different time course of the recovery. Long-term recovery after a viral infection is a non-unique feature of COVID-19, which does not facilitate the management of patients with post-COVID syndrome. The impact on mental health after COVID-19 is significant, and at least 30% of those, who have been ill, may have symptoms of anxiety and/or depression after the acute phase of the disease. Since the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, there has been an increase in somnological disorders by 42%, while every third COVID-19 patient reports altered sleep patterns. In post-COVID-19 syndrome, this condition is referred to as Coronasomnia (COVID-somnia). The success of therapy of this condition depends on reporting and treating mental disorders in patients, as anxiety and depression are often accompanied by sleep disorders, that is, there is a bidirectional influence of mental disorders on the quality of sleep. The article provides data on two anti-anxiety drugs (noofen and adaptol) that help to treat the manifestations of post-COVID syndrome accompanied by sleep disorders.

Psychiatric and neurological aspects of sleep disturbance after coronavirus infection (COVID-19)

There are both scientific interest and practical value to study the medical consequences of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to its pandemic status and high prevalence of different complaints among COVID-19 survivors. These complaints are called “post-COVID” or “long COVID” syndrome. One of the frequent symptoms of post-COVID syndrome is sleep disturbances, predominantly insomnia. The article provides epidemiological data, pathogenesis, socioeconomic factors, and therapeutic approach to insomnia associated with post-COVID syndrome. The increase of sleep disturbances prevalence in pandemic conditions has a comprehensive nature. It includes the disease consequences itself and change of lifestyle due to lockdown. The lifestyle change leads to physical activity decrease and inadequate sleep hygiene. Besides, the high stress level is also the reason for sleep disturbances. The direct effects of COVID-19 on the central nervous system are understudied at the moment. Nevertheless, there are reasons to suggest neurotropic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 to underlie post-COVID neurological and psychiatric disturbances. Taking into account that general practitioners are mainly addressed post-COVID complaints, the recommended hypnotics should be safe, easily prescribed, and highly effective. The probable presence of the psychiatric pathology should be also assessed because the sleep complaints might be its manifestation. © 2022, Remedium Group Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Vaccination and sleep]. / Vaktsinatsiya i son.

The current worldwide pandemic of a new coronavirus infection has posed new challenges for medicine and the human community. In particular, the issue of widespread mass vaccination and improving its effectiveness has become acute. In this regard, the contribution of sleep to innate and acquired immunity has attracted the attention of researchers. It has been shown that lack of sleep significantly increases the risk of adenovirus infection in healthy young people. For example, people who slept 5-6 hours were 4 times more likely to have a viral infection compared to those who slept 7 hours or more. Several studies have examined the effect of partial sleep deprivation on vaccine effectiveness. Subjects who adhered to a normal, 7-8-hour sleep schedule had a 2.5-fold higher antibody titer for the H1N1 influenza virus than those who slept 4 hours. Studies using polysomnography demonstrated that lack of sleep at night immediately after immunization against hepatitis A virus reduced both humoral and cellular immunity. Consequently, the need to improve sleep quality in the general population also has an epidemiological rationale.