Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37587386›Full record

ArticleNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2024

How can sleep disorders affect our reaction towards external stressors: a lesson from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Gloria Castelletti, Francesco Misirocchi, Alessandro Zilioli, Marcello Luigi Salvatelli, Francesco Rausa, Silvia Pizzarotti, Lucia Zinno, Irene Florindo, Giuseppe Pedrazzi, Liborio Parrino and 1 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. The impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic on educational and professional growth of young Italian epileptologists: a survey of the Young Epilepsy Section-Italian chapter.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Gloria CastellettiSleep Disorders Center, Department of General and Specialized Medicine, University Hospital of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy.
Francesco MisirocchiDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Alessandro ZilioliDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Marcello Luigi SalvatelliSleep Disorders Center, Department of General and Specialized Medicine, University Hospital of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy.
Francesco RausaSleep Disorders Center, Department of General and Specialized Medicine, University Hospital of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy.
Silvia PizzarottiSleep Disorders Center, Department of General and Specialized Medicine, University Hospital of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy.
Lucia ZinnoDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Irene FlorindoDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Giuseppe PedrazziUnit of Neuroscience & Interdepartmental Center of Robust Statistics, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Liborio ParrinoSleep Disorders Center, Department of General and Specialized Medicine, University Hospital of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy. liborio.parrino@unipr.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4035-6234
Carlotta MuttiSleep Disorders Center, Department of General and Specialized Medicine, University Hospital of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy.
University of Parma · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 outbreak produced extensive psychological consequences, especially among vulnerable populations. Sleep was identified as one of the most common "indirect targets" of the pandemia, with up to 74.8% of patients surviving from COVID-19 complaining of new-onset sleep disorders. However, so far, the clinic-psychological impact of the outbreak in patients affected by pre-existing sleep disorders has not been examined in details. MATERIALS AND

methodsIn the present study, we aim to assess the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak in a cohort of 190 adult patients affected by sleep disorders, compared to 265 age and sex-matched healthy sleepers. The assessment was implemented throughout the use of ad hoc anamnestic questions, exploration of dream content, and validated questionnaires, aiming to capture the broad range of the neuropsychological nuances of the COVID-19 impact.

resultsSubjects with pre-existent sleep disorders faced a more severe impact in terms of sleep quality and amount compared to healthy sleepers, presenting longer sleep latency, reduced sleep efficacy, and greater use of hypnotics and medications. On the other hand, healthy sleepers experienced deeper variation in sleeping habits, sleep duration, and greater impact on dream activity in terms of content, emotionality, and presence of recurrent dreams. Finally, in our sample, being female represents an important aggravating factor in the pandemic experience, both in terms of sleep deterioration and with respect to physical and mental health. For instance, females indeed presented the highest scores of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) both in cases and control groups (respectively 10 ± 3.8 vs 7.3 ± 3.9 in cases and 6.6 ± 3.6 vs 6.0 ± 3.4 in controls, p-value < 0.001).

conclusionPre-existent sleep disorders and the female sex might represent risk factors increasing the clinic-psychological burden in dramatic scenarios, such as the COVID-19 pandemia, requiring dedicated attention from clinicians.

Indexed as

COVID-19Sleep Initiation and Maintenance DisordersSleep Wake DisordersAdultFemaleHumansMaleRisk FactorsSleepSurveys and QuestionnairesCOVID-19DreamsGenderPsychological impactSleep disorders

Identifiers

PMID37587386
PMCPMC10791966
OpenAlexW4385879385

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.