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According to a study by The Royal and the University of Ottawa, the Covid-19 pandemic has severely disrupted the sleep habits of people. This has led to stress and anxiety further dependence on sleep medication.
The study titled 'Profiles of sleep changes during the Covid-19 pandemic: Demographic, behavioural, and psychological factors' stressed on the global pandemic's impact on daily routines extends to the bed.
The study was led by Principal Investigator Rébecca Robillard, an Assistant Professor and co-director of the Sleep Laboratory of the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa.
Dr Robillard and her team, which was comprised of nearly two dozen scientists from across North America, conducted an online survey of 5,525 Canadian during the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.
She revealed that the pandemic is having a diverse impact on people's sleep, with clinically meaningful sleep difficulties having undergone a sharp increase.
She said: “We found that half of our participants showed signs of serious sleep problems during the pandemic. Specifically, we identified three different profiles of sleep changes: those who sleep more; those whose sleep schedule was pushed to later bed and wake-up times; and those who are getting less sleep than they did before the pandemic."
Psychological response
The researchers also noted that active changes that people made on sleep-related behaviours during the pandemic not only affected sleep quality and quantity, but it also affected their psychological response to this unprecedented situation. This has caused increased symptoms of insomnia and worsening symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression.
The lead author also mentioned that the new sleep difficulties seem to be disproportionately affecting women, those with families and family responsibilities, the employed, and individuals with chronic illnesses. “It also impacted individuals with earlier wake-up times, higher stress levels, heavier alcohol use, and extra television exposure,” she said.
The researchers also suggested certain habits that need to be incorporated to maintain a healthy sleeping cycle that can also give various health benefits. These include:
Getting up at the same time each morning (even on weekends). Even if you fall asleep very late, you should still get up at the same time each morning.
Develop relaxing pre-sleep rituals such as reading.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol within six hours of bedtime, and don't smoke at bedtime.
Exercise regularly. Get vigorous exercises such as jogging either in the morning or afternoon. Get mild exercise, such as walking, two to three hours before bedtime.
The findings of the study were presented in the journal EurekAlert!.
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