Poor sleep quality and unhealthy lifestyle during the lockdown: an Italian study

Abstract

Background The lockdown measures implemented to face the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) first wave deeply modified the lifestyle of the Italian population. Despite its efficacy in limiting the number of infections, forced home confinement was paralleled by sleep/wake cycle disruptions, psychological distress and maladaptive coping strategies (i.e., unhealthy behaviours, such as tobacco and alcohol consumption). Under these unprecedented stress conditions, we explored a possible association between poor sleep quality and increased likelihood of engaging in an unhealthy lifestyle. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted by disseminating an online survey via social networks and e-mail. We collected information on demographics, COVID-19-related data, sleep quality, chronotype, circadian misalignment, and lifestyle before and during the lockdown (i.e., consumption of cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, coffee, hypnotics, comfort food and fresh food; practice of physical activity). A global healthiness score was computed to assess participants’ modifications in lifestyle since the beginning of the lockdown. Results 1297 respondents were included in the study: 414 (31.9%) from Northern Italy, 723 (55.8%) from Central Italy, 160 (12.3%) from Southern Italy. The following variables were found to be significant predictors of the adoption of an unhealthy lifestyle since the beginning of the lockdown: poor sleep quality, high BMI and considering the measures adopted by the government to fight the pandemic as excessive. Living in Northern Italy, instead, was associated with healthier habits compared to living in Central Italy. Conclusions Poor sleepers may represent the share of the general population who paid the highest price for social isolation. Further investigations are required to explore the role of sleep quality assessment in the identification of individuals vulnerable to unhealthy behaviours under stressful conditions.

Effects of working from home on lifestyle behaviors and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey study

“…Nevertheless, this temporal range could also be seen as a strength of the study because participants might have adapted to WH further on its sudden introduction, thus allowing us to capture data on the investigated variables far from the lockdown period in Italy (from March to May 2020). As already highlighted in other surveys conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 12 , 13 , 96 , 97 ], female gender was overrepresented also in our study. Furthermore, we observed a higher response rate in Northern Italy and a lower response rate in Central Italy compared with the regional distribution of the CNR workers.…”

Associations Between Childhood Stressors, COVID-19-Related Anxiety, and Sleep Quality of Adults During the Third Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel

“…5,[8][9][10][11] Given the association of insomnia and other forms of reduced sleep quality with a host of adverse psychological and physiological consequences, such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, [12][13][14] depression, and anxiety, 15,16 this increase raises serious concerns. Studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic showed an association of insomnia and other forms of poor sleep quality with poorer perceived physical health, 17 greater involvement in unhealthy behaviors, such as consumption of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, 18 low subjective wellbeing, 19 and higher levels of emotional distress, including depression, psychological stress, and anxiety. 10,17,[20][21][22] The relationship between sleep quality and emotional distress is complex and bidirectional.…”

Changes in physical activity, dietary and sleeping pattern among the general population in COVID-19: A systematic review protocol

“…However, these restriction measures are mandatory and therefore have a strong negative impact on healthy lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity (PA), eating habits, quality of sleep, etc. [ 7 – 12 ]. Hence, although individuals were encouraged to remain physically active in their homes, the unprecedented confinement gave rise to two situations.…”

“…The study stated significant increases in consumption of unhealthy food, eating out of control, and snacking between meals [ 19 ]. The studies revealed that PA decreased although eating pattern was healthy [ 11 ] while those who adopted unhealthy lifestyle encountered the lower sleep quality [ 12 ]. Regarding sleep quality, 17.2% answered that sleep quality improved, 56.5% did not change, and 26.3% worsened compared to a typical week [ 17 ].…”