- Covid patients have more nightmares and hallucinations than other patients.
It is due to the long time they spend in the intensive care unit, that they receive so many strong drugs and that we sometimes have to take a breather to make the respirator work, says Karin Samuelsson.
The whole body is put into an artificial sleep, without deep sleep and natural dream periods.
The disease state affects not only the body but also the brain.
It in combination with the chaotic environment, snakes connected in the body, the fear of dying and the absence of security and relatives work together to evoke the unpleasant dreams.ee
"Can develop into paranoid delusions"
Karin Samuelsson believes that almost 2/3 of the covid patients on IVA are affected, while only just under 1/3 of other respiratory patients require the nightmare condition.
Many covid patients have such obvious dream sessions that it is difficult for them to distinguish dream from reality.
- The dreams are intense and detailed and are often repeated.
They can develop into paranoid delusions, so that patients think the staff is against one.
And it can be very problematic, says Karin Samuelsson.