Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on sleep quality in university students and administration staff

TLDR

Italy’s COVID‑19 lockdown (March 10–May 3 2020) was associated with heightened psychological distress and poorer sleep quality across the population. A web‑based survey of 400 participants (307 students, 93 staff) measured sleep, anxiety, and depression, revealing increased bedtime, sleep latency, wake‑up time, and worsened sleep quality during the lockdown. Students experienced greater delays in bedtime and wake‑up, while staff saw rises in maintenance insomnia (24 %→40 %) and initiation insomnia (15 %→42 %); overall 27.8 % had depressive and 34.3 % anxious symptoms, especially among students and females, underscoring the need for well‑being interventions.

Abstract

In Italy, lockdown due to COVID-19 health emergency started on March 10 and partially ended on May 3rd, 2020. There was a significant increase of psychological distress and symptoms of mental illness, and worsening of quality of sleep in the general population.Participants completed an anonymous web-based survey that include questionnaires about sleep and anxiety and depression symptoms. Our sample included 400 subjects: 307 students (mean age 22.84 ± 2.68) and 93 university administration staff workers (mean age 37.02 ± 12.46).we found an increase in Bed Time hour, Sleep Latency, and Wake-Up time between before and during COVID-19 emergency and a worsening of sleep quality and of insomnia symptoms. In particular, during the lockdown, the impact of the delay in Bed Time and in Wake-Up was more pronounced in students. In workers, we observed a prevalence of maintenance insomnia before COVID-19 of 24% that significantly increase during COVID-19 reaching 40%, while workers with difficulties in sleep initiation were only 15% that increased to 42%. In our sample, 27.8% showed depressive symptoms, while 34.3% showed anxious symptoms, in particular in students.The impact of lockdown was greater in students than in workers, and in females than in males. Concerning the psycho-emotional aspects, about one-third of our sample showed depressive or anxious symptoms. The results of our study may provide support for the implementation of some interventions for well-being in pandemic condition.