“In contexts of prolonged crisis, such as the pandemic or the war in Ukraine, sleep becomes a sensitive field for expressing collective psychological suffering, revealing dysfunctions that often precede other clinical signs,” highlighted Henrique Testa Vicente, researcher at the Instituto Superior Miguel Torga and author of the study.

Data from the research “Sleep Patterns and Crisis-Related Dreams During the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian War”, completed in 2024 and published in March of this year, point to a significant increase in sleep disorders, a greater memory of them and also an intensification of nightmares during the pandemic.

Speaking to Lusa, professor at the Instituto Superior Miguel Torga and co-author of the study, Joana Proença Becker, revealed that fear, anxiety and guilt are among the most identified emotions in a sample of 1,700 participants.

“Anxiety was greater during the pandemic, because it was a crisis that directly affected the Portuguese, while the war was a vicarious experience, which people followed through the media and had a greater impact on their finances, causing some insecurity and stress,” she explained.

According to Joana Proença Becker, dreams are not just a reflection of fear, anxiety and guilt.

“They also reveal the unconscious strategies of emotional processing in the face of collective suffering,” he added.

For Henrique Testa Vicente, the results highlight the importance of understanding sleep, not only as an essential physiological function, but also as a mirror of the social and emotional tensions that run through society.

“Modern societies tend to undervalue the impact of large-scale experiences on the most intimate and subjective rhythms of individuals. However, it is precisely in these subjective territories – such as sleep and dreams – that we find ‘clues’ about people’s emotional state and the way they process, consciously or unconsciously, their experiences,” he said.

In the context of war, the study shows that the Portuguese revealed higher levels of sadness, anger and physical sensations of discomfort, such as pain, cold or paralysis.

“These indicators should be read as signs of profound emotional impact, even among populations not directly involved in the conflicts. It is by identifying these manifestations that we can better understand how people are being affected and where it is urgent to intervene from a mental health perspective,” said Joana Proença Becker.

The study investigated sleep duration, the time it takes each person to fall asleep (sleep latency), nighttime awakenings, daytime sleepiness and also the overall quality of sleep, as well as the frequency of dream and nightmare recall.

According to the professor, this analysis concluded that the emotional and sensory dimensions of dreams offer an alternative perspective on the subconscious or unconscious processing of these world events.

“The psychological and psychosocial impact of collective crises is much greater than we imagine. The Portuguese have suffered, and still suffer, even if unconsciously, and this is reflected in the sleep patterns and dream experiences they describe,” he claimed, warning of the “need for more integrated public policies” that consider sleep and mental health as “interdependent dimensions in the response to future social, health or geopolitical crises.”

Actions such as promoting good sleep hygiene, creating spaces for emotional listening and reinforcing psychological support are examples given by researchers and which “should be strategic priorities in periods of instability”.