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Sleep Problems Hit Unexpected Heights Early in Pandemic
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of people with clinically meaningful sleep difficulties grew 15% from pre-outbreak estimates to include half of all survey respondents, according to a study published in the Journal of Sleep Research.
“While some of these sleep problems may be transient, it should be a high priority to ensure they do not evolve into chronic sleep disorders,” wrote study principal investigator Rébecca Robillard, PhD, of the University of Ottawa and The Royal Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues from across North America.
The finding stems from an online population survey that assessed sleep and mental health in 5525 Canadians between April 3, 2020, and June 24, 2020. Researchers were interested in sleep patterns before and during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Some 36% of respondents reported clinically meaningful sleep difficulties before COVID-19. During the pandemic, the proportion grew to 50.5%, the study found.
To cope with their sleep problems, 8% of respondents reported more frequent use of prescribed and over-the-counter sleep medications during the outbreak.
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“We have seen an increase in the use of sleeping medications during the pandemic,” Dr. Robillard said. “Considering the known risks for the development of tolerance with these medications, this may forecast a surge in more complex chronic insomnia cases in the long run.”
The study identified 3 profiles of COVID-19 sleep changes: people who slept more, people who went to bed later and woke up later, and people who slept less. The latter 2 groups had more insomnia symptoms and stress, anxiety, and depression, compared with the group whose sleep increased, according to the study.
New sleep difficulties were independently associated with being female, having a chronic illness, being employed, family responsibilities, earlier wake-up times, higher levels of stress, heavier alcohol use, and more time watching TV, according to the study.
“Sleep and mental health issues are something to be expected with the current circumstances, but we never expected to see it hit this level,” Dr. Robillard said. “It is important to intervene to address the unique phenomenon that we are facing right now.”
—Jolynn Tumolo
References
Robillard R, Dion K, Pennestri MH, et al. Profiles of sleep changes during the COVID-19 pandemic: demographic, behavioural and psychological factors. Journal of Sleep Research. 2020 November 17;[Epub ahead of print].
