Sleep Habits during COVID-19 Confinement: An Exploratory Analysis from Portugal

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic consequences are tragic, and many problems will persist after the health problem ends. Some studies have focused on mental health issues, reporting worrying percentages. It is known that there is a bidirectional relationship between mental health and sleep quality, and it would be expected that sleep would be affected by the pandemic. In order to know the Portuguese people’s habits before and during the confinement, we carried out a survey of 188 people aged 13 to 84 (38 ± 15) to find out the most frequent sleep patterns, habits and disorders before and during confinement. With this survey it was also intended to measure the most frequent changes in sleep patterns, habits, and disturbances on the general population and according to demographic data (gender, age group and professional status), sleep disorders arise, perceptions about sleep during confinement and if Portuguese think that in the future the sleep patterns will be the pre or during outbreak. Results indicate that, comparing before and during confinement, there is a slight correlation between gender and sleep disorders (before vs. during), a correlation between age group and professional status time to wake up, and between professional status and sleep disorders, and a strong correlation between the professional situation and changes in the invigorated feeling level (p < 0.001). Support for mental health and interventions to improve sleep quality should be offered to the population in general, and, according to our study, the Portuguese population.