Cited by 751COVID-19 and Mental HealthSleep and related disordersObstructive Sleep Apnea Research

Sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic by population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

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Jahrami, Haitham, BaHammam, Ahmed S., Bragazzi, Nicola Luigi, Saif, Zahra, Faris, MoezAlIslam, Vitiello, Michael V.·2021·Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

Abstract

Study objectives No systematic review or meta-analysis has yet been conducted to examine the impact of the pandemic on the prevalence of sleep problems among the general population, health care workers, or patients with COVID-19. Therefore, this systematic review was conducted to assess the impact and prevalence of sleep problems among those categories.Methods American Psychological Association PsycINFO, Cochrane, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EBSCOhost, EMBASE, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, ProQuest Medical, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science from November 1, 2019 to July 5, 2020 were used. Additionally, 5 preprints servers (medRxiv.org; preprints.org; psyarxiv.com; arXiv.org; biorxiv.org) were also searched for papers accepted after peer review but not yet published and indexed. There was no language restriction. The random-effect models meta-analysis model was used with the DerSimonian and Laird methodology.Results Forty-four papers, involving a total of 54,231 participants from 13 countries, were judged relevant and contributed to the systematic review and meta-analysis of sleep problems during COVID-19. The global pooled prevalence rate of sleep problems among all populations was 35.7% (95% confidence interval, 29.4-42.4%). Patients with COVID-19 appeared to be the most affected group, with a pooled rate of 74.8% (95% confidence interval, 28.7-95.6%). Health care workers and the general population had comparative rates of sleep problems, with rates of 36.0% (95% confidence interval, 21.1-54.2%) and 32.3% (95% confidence interval, 25.3-40.2%), respectively.Conclusions The prevalence of sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic is high and affects approximately 40% of people from the general and health care populations. Patients with active COVID-19 appeared to have a higher prevalence rates of sleep problems.

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  • Students appear to exhibit worse sleep in the 5 weeks before their exams compared to the rest of the semester.

    “Moreover, students appear to exhibit worse sleep in the 5 weeks before their exams compared to the rest of the semester [83].”

    From A systematic review and meta-analysis of poor sleep, insomnia symptoms and stress in undergraduate students (2022) · cites this paper as [83]

    The Meta-analysis of sleep problems and Conclusions sections report sleep-problem prevalence during COVID-19, not changes in students’ sleep across a semester. Searches for exams, the five weeks before exams, and a comparison with the rest of the semester found no passage addressing that comparison. Page numbers were unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.77)

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  • PSQI prevalence was similar to general population estimates during the outbreak when measured with the same tool.

    “PSQI prevalence was also comparable to that in the general population during the outbreak determined using the same tool (Jahrami et al., 2021).”

    From Long-term effects of COVID-19 on mental health: a systematic review (2022) · cites this paper as Jahrami et al., 2021

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. [16]16. Ahmad A, Rahman I, Agarwal M. Factors influencing mental health during covid- 19 outbreak. medRxiv. Preprint posted online May 6, 2020. doi:10.1101/ 2020.05.03.20081380.
  2. [20]20. Bohlken J, Schömig F, Seehagen T, et al. Experience of practice-based psychiatrists and neurologists during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatr Prax. 2020;47(4):214-217.
  3. [40]40. Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. 2020; 40(3):346-350.
  4. [49]49. Wu K, Wei X. Analysis of psychological and sleep status and exercise rehabilitation of front-line clinical staff in the fight against COVID-19 in China. Med Sci Monit Basic Res. 2020;26:e924085.
  5. [60]60. Li DJ, Ko NY, Chen YL, et al. COVID-19-related factors associated with sleep disturbance and suicidal thoughts among the Taiwanese public: a Facebook survey. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(12):E4479.

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Authors
Jahrami, H., BaHammam, A. S., Bragazzi, N. L., Saif, Z., Faris, M., & Vitiello, M. V.
Affiliations
  • Ministry of Health (BH)
  • King Saud University (SA)
  • York University (CA)
  • University of Sharjah (AE)
  • University of Washington (US)
Venue
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine
Published
2021-02
Volume
17
Issue
2
Pages
299-313
ISSN
  • 1550-9389 (ISSN-L)
  • 1550-9397
OpenAlex
W3097605919
Cited by
751
References
68
Citations by year
2026: 32 · 2025: 57 · 2024: 90 · 2023: 180 · 2022: 268 · 2021: 124
FWCI
11.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Obstructive Sleep Apnea Research
Keywords
sleep disorders, COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers, COVID-19 patients, general population
MeSH terms
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Humans, Quarantine, Sleep Wake Disorders, Pandemics

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