Stress Markers and Post-COVID Insomnia: Investigating Copeptin and Melatonin Levels in Post-COVID-19

Year 2026, Volume: 15 Issue: 1 , 84 - 94 , 30.04.2026

Figen Güzelgül , Marwa Abdelmageed , Handan İnönü Köseoğlu , Esma Akpınar Aslan

https://izlik.org/JA62AK97SE

Abstract

Insomnia is a prevalent symptom affecting 5.4% to 64% of individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the role of copeptin and melatonin in the pathogenesis of post-COVID-19 and insomnia in COVID-19 survivors. Thirty COVID-19-recovered patients and fifteen healthy controls were included in the study. Patients were categorized into two groups: individuals with post-COVID insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI] above 15, n=10) and those without (n=20). Insomnia patients received either Trazodone 50 mg or Mirtazapine 15 mg as a sleep disturbance treatment once a day for three months. Serum copeptin and melatonin were evaluated. Melatonin and copeptin levels demonstrated a statistical significance between the study groups (p<0.008 and p=0.039, respectively). Furthermore, the three cases who completed three months of treatment reported sleep improvement associated with a reduction in copeptin levels and an elevation in melatonin levels. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate copeptin levels in non-hospitalized recovered COVID-19 subjects with insomnia. Our data suggest a potential correlation between serum copeptin and insomnia among COVID-19-recovered patients. Further studies with larger cohorts could investigate the potential of copeptin as a predictive biomarker for post-COVID insomnia.

Keywords

Melatonin , Copeptin , COVID-19 , insomnia

Ethical Statement

The study received approval from the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, TTokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat City, Türkiye (approval number: 21-KAEK-252, Date: 22.12.2021). Informed written consent was obtained from all participants, in full compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Supporting Institution

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Project Number

There is no project number

Thanks

The authors would like to express their gratitude to all participants in this study.

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