Navigating sleep and well-being during COVID-19: How do dreams help us make sense of our new global reality?
Thanks to UofT Global, we were recipients of UofT's COVID-19 Student Engagement Award.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated stressors have impacted daily lives – and likely the sleeping patterns – of many students at the University of Toronto. Sleep is deeply rooted in personal and cultural contexts, with implications for health and well-being[1]. Dreaming offers a way for individuals to make sense of their emotions and anxieties in ongoing situations. Dreaming not only allows consolidation of new information, but gives an individual opportunities to creatively ‘play out’ low-risk, hypothetical threat simulations[2]. While dreaming is a human universal, how dreams are understood by an individual depends on their culture, subjective perceptions and belief systems. Dreams provide insight into how the mind is ‘updating’ itself in relation to changing realities, with some cultures believing dreams to be premonitions, guidance from elders, or access to their own subconscious thoughts[3]. This interpretation can impact decision-making, mood regulation, and resiliency[3]. While there are studies that analyze dreams in high-stress situations, little is known of how culture shapes the personal relevance of these dreams. Because of its global reach, COVID-19 allows a unique opportunity to study dreams of individuals embedded in cultural understandings, and how perception of these dreams shapes identity as individuals seek to adapt to their new realities.
Work Cited: [1] Worthman C et al. 2013. Soc Sci & Med 79: 31-39 .[2] Revonsuo A. 2000. Behav Brain Sci 23: 877-901. [3] Hoss J et al. 2019. ABC Clio.[4] Domhoff G.W. 1996. Springer: Boston, MA
Contact
Erica Kilius (PhD Student, Department of Anthropology): erica.kilius@mail.utoronto.ca
Leela McKinnon (PhD Student, Department of Anthropology): l.mckinnon@mail.utoronto.ca
Noor Abbas (MSc Student, Department of Anthropology): noor.abbas@mail.utoronto.ca
David R. Samson, PhD (Assistant Professor & Project Supervisor, Department of Anthropology): david.samson@utoronto.ca