Self-perceived sleep quality during the covid pandemic: risk and protective factors

Abstract

The situation derived from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and lockdowns ordered to control the pandemic led to unprecedented problems in different areas of people’s well-being. This study aimed to explore the acute effects of the first lockdown on self-perceived sleep quality, as well as the risk/protective factors that modulated this impact. The sample was composed by 1,275 respondents ranging in age from 18 to 55 years. Participants wererecruited during the COVID-19 first lockdown in Spain. They wereevaluated regarding theirself reported sleep problems before and during lockdown, as well as other areas related to the impact of lockdown (e.g., on diet, physical activity, or use of digital media), psychological states (positive and negative affect), and traits (impulsivity). Most participants (66.7%) reported a decrease in their self-perceived sleep quality during the pandemic. Correlational analyses showed that maintaining good levels of physical activity and diet quality during the pandemic were positively associated with sleep quality; furthermore, greater levels of positive affect, living in bigger homes during lockdown, and age were positively associated with sleep quality as well. On the contrary, negative affect, female sex, and the impact of the pandemic on various domains (mental health, relationship quality, personal finances, and the use of digital media) were negatively related to self-perceived sleep quality. In brief, this study supports the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-perceived sleep quality and provides a preliminary foundation for identifying protective and risk factors contributing to sleep quality during lockdowns and other situations of distress.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• sleep quality
• risk factors
• protective factors
• cross-sectional study