Yes, The Pandemic Is Causing You To Have Poorer Sleep, According To New Research
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It’s true that people are using the COVID-19 lockdown to sleep in a little more, but new research indicates that it doesn’t mean it’s quality slumber.
A new study published by Switzerland’s University of Basel in the Current Biology journal suggests that people in Austria, Germany and Switzerland are clocking in an average of 15 minutes of extra sleep per night—but this is not to say their sleep has improved.
Observing 435 participants between mid-March and April, when lockdowns were most severe in these countries, the team found that spending most of their days indoors has influenced people to change their sleep schedules to accommodate their biological rhythms.
A separate study by the University of Colorado and Boulder’s Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory found that 139 university students who were taking at-home classes slept about 30 minutes more on weekdays and 24 minutes longer on weekends.
This means people are both turning in and awakening later, such that their weekday and weekend sleep cycles are just about aligned. It lowers something called “social jetlag,” which, when decreased, is normally a good sign.
“Usually, we would expect a decrease in social jetlag to be associated with reports of improved sleep quality,” explained Christine Blume, a cognitive neuroscientist and co-author of the University of Basel study. “However, in our sample, overall sleep quality decreased.”
The scientists deduced that stress from the unexpected crisis has weakened the quality of sleep. “We think that the self-perceived burden, which substantially increased during this unprecedented COVID-19 lockdown, may have outweighed the otherwise beneficial effects of a reduced social jetlag,” Blume continued.
The silver lining is that experts perceive extended sleep hours and consistent durations as an improvement. If people continue getting regular sleep after the pandemic, when stress levels are expected to ease, it would improve its overall quality.
If you’re struggling to sleep well during this period, check out these tips for better quality slumbers.
[via CNET, cover image via Shutterstock]
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