Sleep quality and insomnia during the COVID-19 lockdown among the Saudi public

Abstract

Objectives: To measure the Saudi population’s sleep quality during the lockdown of COVID-19. Methods: An internet-based questionnaire that was performed during the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic among the Saudi population over 2 weeks from April 1 to April 15, 2020. We used the instant messaging application WhatsApp and Twitter to reach the targeted population. Saudi citizens and non-Saudi residents who can read and understand the questionnaire were recruited. Data were analyzed using Stata and SPSS. Results: A total of 790 responses were included. The majority of participants were the Saudi population 735 (92.9%). The prevalence of insomnia and poor sleep quality were 54.4% and 55.5%, respectively. Saudi citizenship was associated with longer sleep duration ( p =0.031). Female gender and being married were associated with worse global PSQI, sleep quality, sleep distribution, sleep latency, and daytime dysfunction. Conclusion: Our findings showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Saudi population had a high prevalence of insomnia and poor sleep quality. Routine monitoring of the psychological impact of life-threatening outbreaks and the adoption of effective early mental health actions should be considered.

Sleep disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression

“…A total of 250 studies [285 subgroups, i.e., multiple populations, multiple tools, or multiple data points] comprising 493,475 participants from 49 countries were included in the analyses [ [43] , [44] , [45] , [46] , [47] , [48] , [49] , [50] , [51] , [52] , [53] , [54] , [55] , [56] , [57] , [58] , [59] , [60] , [61] , [62] , [63] , [64] , [65] , [66] , [67] , [68] , [69] , [70] , [71] , [72] , [73] , [74] , [75] , [76] , [77] , [78] , [79] , [80] , [81] , [82] , [83] , [84] , [85] , [86] , [87] , [88] , [89] , [90] , [91] , [92] , [93] , [94] , [95] , [96] , [97] , [98] , [99] , [100] , [101] , [102] , [103] , [104] , [105] , [106] , [10...…”

“… MSQ 6 13 Alfonsi et al, 2021 [ 55 ] Italy Yes General Population Longitudinal design, N = 217, Female = 72%, Age = 35.7 years. PSQI 7 14 Alharbi et al, 2021 [ 56 ] Saudi Arabia Yes General Population Cross-sectional design, N = 790, Female = 53.1%, Age = 40-60 years. PSQI, AIS 7 15 Ali et al, 2021 [ 57 ] Bangladesh No Healthcare workers [Frontline = 4.1%, Nurses = 9.5%] Cross-sectional design, N = 294, Female = 43.5%, Age = 28.9 years.…”

Comparison of Generalized Anxiety and Sleep Disturbance among Frontline and Second-Line Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Alharbi et al 2021 [ 34 ] conducted a study during lockdown and reported that 55% of the general Saudi population suffered from poor sleep quality. However, in the present study, the data indicate that 82% of healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia suffered from poor sleep quality during the same period.…”

The Prevalence of Psychological Distress and Its Relationship to Sleep Quality in Saudi Arabia's General Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The 80-h weekly maximum for training programs should be adhered to, and wellness programs should be included in the curriculum (32). A similar trend was also reported in local studies that underlined deterioration in sleep quality and a high prevalence of sleep disorders during the spreading of the pandemic among physicians, quarantined individuals, and the public (33)(34)(35)(36). Other studies from different countries have highlighted the increased prevalence of sleep problems.…”