Sleep Disturbance During Quarantine in the Era of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Quarantine has been shown to affect sleep quality in previous analyses. However, a thorough investigation of the association between sleep disturbance and COVID-19 infection during quarantine is still lacking. Aim We aim to determine the impact of quarantine on sleep quality and such impact to anxiety. We also aim to investigate the use of medication and its impact on sleep quality during quarantine. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia during September 2020. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) were used. Results The number of participants was 327, with an infection rate of 53.6% (n= 175). 60.8% (n=189) were quarantined. The mean PSQI score was 5.69 (SD=3.17), those who were quarantined had a higher score (M=6.33, SD=2.99) than those who were not (M=4.57, SD=3.23). After we control for the confounding of anxiety, the PSQI score was also higher in those quarantined (M=0.59, SD=0.26) than in those who were not (M=0.48, SD=0.31); t(120)=2.08, p<0.05. Zinc was noted to have a significant positive effect on sleep quality and anxiety level. Conclusion This analysis provides new insight into the effect of quarantine and anxiety levels on sleep quality.

Keywords

• Sleep Wake Disorders
• Sleep Deprivation
• Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
• COVID-19