COVID-19-mandated social restrictions unveil the impact of social time pressure on sleep and body clock

Abstract

In humans, sleep regulation is tightly linked to social times that assign local time to events, such as school, work, or meals. The impact of these social times, collectively—social time pressure, on sleep has been studied epidemiologically via quantification of the discrepancy between sleep times on workdays and those on work-free days. This discrepancy is known as the social jetlag (SJL). COVID-19-mandated social restrictions (SR) constituted a global intervention by affecting social times worldwide. We launched a Global Chrono Corona Survey (GCCS) that queried sleep–wake times before and during SR (preSR and inSR). 11,431 adults from 40 countries responded between April 4 and May 6, 2020. The final sample consisted of 7517 respondents (68.2% females), who had been 32.7 ± 9.1 (mean ± sd) days under SR. SR led to robust changes: mid-sleep time on workdays and free days was delayed by 50 and 22 min, respectively; sleep duration increased on workdays by 26 min but shortened by 9 min on free days; SJL decreased by ~ 30 min. On workdays inSR, sleep–wake times in most people approached those of their preSR free days. Changes in sleep duration and SJL correlated with inSR-use of alarm clocks and were larger in young adults. The data indicate a massive sleep deficit under pre-pandemic social time pressure, provide insights to the actual sleep need of different age-groups and suggest that tolerable SJL is about 20 min. Relaxed social time pressure promotes more sleep, smaller SJL and reduced use of alarm clocks.

Examining changes in sleep duration associated with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: Who is sleeping and who is not?

“…One of the most important findings in our analyses was that 53.9% of our cohort experienced a change in their sleep duration as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with the largest proportion (36.7%) sleeping more than usual. This latter finding is consistent with recent data from a global internet survey which demonstrated an average 26 minute increase in sleep duration and 50 minute delay in mid-sleep time on workdays 28 and from another survey using data downloaded from a widely used sleep app showing a mean increase of 14 minutes in 5 large American, European and Asian cities, 29 as well as an internet survey in Americans. 30 The ability to work from home without “social time pressure” is the most likely explanation.…”

“…30 The ability to work from home without “social time pressure” is the most likely explanation. 28 Moreover, given the multitude of stressors during this pandemic, fatigue and depression may also be contributing to increased sleep time.…”

Sleep during COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-cultural study investigating job system relevance

“…[1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] , [33] , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] , [42] , [43] , [44] .…”

Persistent psychopathology and neurocognitive impairment in COVID-19 survivors: Effect of inflammatory biomarkers at three-month follow-up

“…The host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, the persistent psychological stress before and during infection ( Korman et al, 2020 , Vai et al, 2020 ), and a possible direct viral infections of the central nervous system represent possible mechanisms to induce neuropsychiatric sequelae ( Troyer et al, 2020 ). T helper (Th)-1 cytokines, including Interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6, Interferon(IFN)-γ, Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α, CXCL10, and CCL2; and Th-2 cytokines, including IL-4, IL-10, and IL-1 receptor antagonist are all elevated in the serum of COVID-19 patients ( Coperchini et al, 2020 ) in a “cytokine storm” typically associated with the illness.…”