The Effects of Long-term Social Distancing on Sleep and Mood in Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: School timings could influence teens' sleeping patterns by interrupting their sleep or the timing of light can shift their biological clock. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered teens' sleeping schedule making it important to analyze the effects of long-term social distancing on adolescents' sleep and mood. Objective(s): This study analyzes the effects of long-term social distancing, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on their sleeping patterns and mood. Method(s): In this cohort study, data from the 2018 - 2020 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS) were used to compare teens' sleep patterns in 2020 with those in 2018 - 2019. The primary outcomes of this study were the sleep duration and sleep time of adolescents throughout the week, between 2018 and 2019, and in 2020. The secondary outcomes were the teens' mood, health perception, and sleep satisfaction, including differences in total sleep time and sleep discrepancies between weekends and weekdays. Result(s): Around 58 - 63 thousand students were surveyed each year, and the participation rate was 94.9 - 95.6%. After exclusion, 132,839 teens participated in the survey. From 2018-2020, the height and body weight of the participants did not change. After adjusting for participants' sex and school year, it was found that more teens felt happy, fewer teens experienced sadness and desperation, and fewer teens had suicidal thoughts in 2020, compared with the previous two years. They also slept 10 minutes later (9.743 (95% confidence interval 7.954-11.530)), with wake-up times of 3 - 5 minutes later on weekdays (4.684 (3.449-5.919)). On weekends during social distancing, they slept 16 minutes later (15.721 (14.077-17.366)), with wake-up times of 12 minutes later (12.309 (10.393-14.225)). Although they slept five minutes less on weekdays (-5.059 (-6.817 to-3.301)) and three minutes less on weekends (-3.413 (-5.419 to-1.407)), their overall sleep satisfaction increased, and differences in sleep duration between weekdays and weekends decreased in 2020. Conclusion(s): During social distancing, the mood and sleep efficiency of teens improved. In the future, once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, online classes can be included in the curriculum of school systems to ensure healthy sleep patterns in teenagers.Copyright © 2023, Author(s).

Impact of School Closure on Children'S Sleep Pattern During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: School closure is one of the main global health policies performed worldwide during the coronavir us di sease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Despite all of the advantages, there may be some risks for children who are quarantined. This study aimed to objectively measure and compares the sleep patterns of Hong Kong school students before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: Baseline assessment was performed before the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong. The sleep pattern was recorded by a physical activity monitor (Actigraph wGT3X-BT, Pensacola, Florida, USA). The follow-up assessment was conducted in early 2020. Findings: In total, 718 students were collected in the baseline . Sub sequently 1 40 students joined t he reassessment between March and April 2020. Analysis of sleep timing shows that 98.0% primary students, 78.0% secondary students and 79.9% primary school students and 58.8% secondary school students go to bed before midnight before and after the outbreak, respectively (p<0.001). Mean sleep duration (hours) was 6.81 (0.62) and 8.09 (0.07) at baseline and during the outbreak, respectively. The differences in the mean sleep features for total sleep time, sleep fragmentation index and sleep fragmentation were 0.92 (1.64), 1.64 (6.95) and 2.49 (9.18), respectively. The overall sleep quality was poorer as evidenced by delays in bedtime and wake up time, increased duration in bed, longer sleep latency, increases in the movement and fragmentation indices. Conclusion: This exceptional longitudinal study reported objective data on the change in sleep patterns before and during the COVID-19 outbreak with school closures.

SCREEN TIME AND SLEEP IN YOUNG ADOLESCENTS BEFORE AND ACROSS THE FIRST YEAR OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with profound biopsychosocial changes for children, potentially affecting their health and wellbeing. Among these changes are altered sleep patterns and screen time use, however, no work has examined interactions between these two behaviors in the context of the pandemic. Here, we used longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study® to investigate changes in both sleep and screen time, and their relationship, from before and across the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in young adolescents. Methods: More than 5000 adolescents (11-14 years;48% girls) completed digital surveys about their sleep and daily screen time use before the pandemic and across six timepoints during 2020- 2021, as part of the ongoing ABCD Study®. Random intercept linear mixed effect models (LMMs) were used to examine longitudinal associations between bedtime, wake-up time, and daily screen time use (social media, gaming), considering age, sex, and school effects. Results: Adolescents' wake up time was delayed (R2 = 0.51;~1.5 hour) during May-August 2020 relative to the pre-pandemic assessment (p<0.01), which was partially related to the summer break (p<0.01), before advancing to earlier times in October 2020. Bedtimes also delayed at all pandemic assessments (R2=0.62;~1 hour), even after starting the new school year (p<0.01), particularly in older adolescents (p<0.01) and girls (p<0.01). Recreational screen time was dramatically higher across the first year of the pandemic, relative to pre-pandemic (p<0.01;~45min social media, ~20min video gaming). More time spent with screen related activities was associated with later bedtimes and wake up times (p<0.01), across the pandemic, with effects being evident in male and female adolescents. Conclusion: Our findings show profound changes in sleep timing and screen time use across the pandemic in young adolescents, and critically, that excessive screen time negatively impacts sleep. As adolescents increasingly turn to more screen usage, these data highlight the need to promote their balanced and informed use of social media platforms, video games, and other digital technology to ensure adequate opportunity to sleep and maintain other healthy behaviors during this critical period of developmental change.

Neurophysiology of sleep in workers' health and safety during Covid19 pandemic

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.