Sleep Disturbances During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted people all around the world. Recent studies suggest an association of the COVID-19 pandemic with stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia among healthcare workers. Sleep disturbances can affect mental health and cognitive performance, and contribute to downstream consequences including hypertension, metabolic dysregulation and diabetes, as well as overall cardiovascular health.
This study by Mandelkorn et al. published online in the September 9th, 2020 edition of Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine showed the surge of sleep problems in a large-scale population during this pandemic. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional online survey of 3,062 adults from 49 countries between March 26th – April 26th, 2020, using validated sleep questionnaires. Of the 2,562 adults who completed the study, approximately 40% reported a reduced sleep quality when compared to their quality of sleep prior to the pandemic, with a 20% increase in self-reported sleeping pill consumption during this time (p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that factors including female gender, responders between the ages of 31-45, reduced physical activity, and being in quarantine with an adverse impact on livelihood were all independently associated with a reduced/worsening sleep quality during the pandemic. The results from this study raise awareness, and highlight that changes imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge /worsening of self-reported sleep problems across the globe.
Find the article here.
(Post by: Pahnwat Tonya Taweesedt)
