ABSTRACT
Introduction: Sleep problems appear to have been common and associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Sleep quality, however, has been mainly assessed by the use of self-reported measures, thus limiting clinical usefulness. We review the literature about the sleep quality of workers supported by objective neurophysiological tools, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed database through October 27, 2021, including terms Covid-19, sleep, workers, neurophysiology, polysomnography and actigraphy. Results: A total of 13 studies were included. Out of these, only two studies evaluated sleep problems in workers (Healthcare professionals) with objective neurophysiological tools such as actigraphic evaluation. About 35% of healthcare workers were suffering from sleep disturbances having a sleep efficiency value less than 90% and high PSQI scores with a significant negative correlation between SE and PSQI and a trend of a negative association between SE and age. No other job categories were evaluated. Conclusions: During the lockdown, increases in sleep problems are associated with sense of time and are more pronounced in individuals with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. People who isolated at home (smart-working) reported significantly earlier sleep onset and wake-up times than actigraphy-defined, tending to overestimate their specific sleep times. It is of utmost relevance to assess sleep by objective measures to set appropriate preventive strategies treating sleep problems, thus also obtaining reduced psychological distress.