Sleep quality and mental health in coronavirus disease 2019 patients and general population during the pandemic

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Sleep problems during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic commonly affected general populations. Data on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep quality in Saudi Arabia are scarce. Thus, the aim of our study was to evaluate sleep quality and assess the psychological burden of the pandemic in COVID-19 patients and the general population. METHODS: This was a multicenter, observational, cross-sectional survey. Participants with COVID-19 were recruited from different health-care centers in the western region during the lockdown period from May 13, 2020 to September 2, 2020. All participants completed a validated online survey. The control group comprised individuals from the general public who responded to the online survey through social media. Demographic data, COVID-19 status, and history of chronic diseases were collected. Sleep quality, depression, and insomnia were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: In total, 1091 participants were surveyed and 643 (58.9%) were positive for COVID-19. Poor sleep quality was reported in 66.1% of COVID-19 patients (mean score ± standard deviation [SD] 6.9 ± 4.0) and 72.8% of controls (mean score ± SD 7.6 ± 4.3). Insomnia affected 50.5% of COVID-19 patients (mean score ± SD 6.5 ± 5.5) and 58.5% of controls (mean score ± SD 7.6 ± 5.5). Depression was diagnosed in 39.5% of COVID-19 patients (mean score ± SD 4.7 ± 4.6) and 70.1% of controls (mean score ± SD 8.9 ± 6.7). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on mental health and sleep quality in both COVID-19 patients and the general population but more pronounced in the general population.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep health among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) populations: a systematic review of the literature

“…The prevalence of insomnia, anxiety, depression and obesity increased with increasing phone screen time among university students. Of all countries, Iran reported the highest prevalence of insomnia among adults (55.2%) 46 53. Finally, in a Turkey-based study among pregnant women, mild sleepiness was found in 88.2% of participants (n=356), while severe sleepiness was reported in 11.8% of the same sample 54…”

“…SQ was altered for both COVID-19 patients and healthy individuals 46. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score during lockdown was predominantly influenced by sleep-onset latency, sleep efficiency and total sleep time 47.…”

Prevalence of poor sleep quality in COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…During the past years, prevalence studies of poor sleep quality in COVID-19 patients found wide variations, ranging from 25.5 to 88.6% (12)(13)(14), which is probably related to differences in COVID-19 severity and stages (e.g., COVID-19 onset, recovery, acute postsymptom onset), comorbidities, treatment regimens, and measures on sleep quality and cut-off values (15)(16)(17)(18)(19). There are various systematic reviews and meta-analyses that focused on the management of COVID-19, such as the role of methylprednisolone (20), aspirin (21), and baricitinib (22) in COVID-19 patients, but no meta-analysis on the prevalence of poor sleep quality in COVID-19 patients has been published.…”

Effects of interpersonal sensitivity on depressive symptoms in postgraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Psychological capital and sleep quality as mediators

“…Depression was found to be one of the most common and prominent psychological symptoms during this period ( 8 ). Almost half of the adult participants reported depressive symptoms during the lockdown ( 9 ), and the prevalence of depression in the general population (70.10%) was significantly higher compared with COVID-19 patients (39.50%) ( 10 ).…”