Sleep Disorders in Patients After COVID-19

Abstract

Healthy sleep is necessary to ensure the stability of the body's homeostasis, the consistency of immunological reactions, the optimal functioning of internal organs, the nervous system, and cognitive functions. The patterns of changes in circadian rhythms have been studied in many diseases, however, SARS-CoV-2 infection is a new reality, and the basic mechanisms of the body's functioning in this pathology require in-depth study. Despite the complexity of analytical work in a pandemic, experience in diagnosing COVID-19 has already been accumulated, treatment algorithms have been developed in various clinical situations, and vaccines have been developed. The least studied issues are the long-term consequences of COVID-19. At the same time, there is every reason to believe that patients need long-term rehabilitation in the «postcovid period» of SARS-CoV-2, including due to damage to the nervous system. Analysis of publications, from descriptions of clinical cases to literature reviews, allows us to accumulate empirical experience, which will make it possible in the future to establish markers of prognosis of the disease for effective prevention of long-term consequences. The results of current prospective studies draw attention to the presence of dyssomnias and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome not only as a frequent consequence of the postponed coronavirus infection, but also as a factor that significantly worsens the prognosis in the acute period of the disease. It has been repeatedly established that sleep deprivation adversely affects the body's resistance, including to SARS-CoV-2, and requires adjustment to improve the prognosis in the acute and long-term periods of the disease in patients with COVID-19.