COVID-somnia: Sleep disturbance among Indian nurses during COVID-19 pandemic

J Family Med Prim Care. 2022 Jun;11(6):3167-3173. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2113_21. Epub 2022 Jun 30.

Abstract

Background: Sleep is vital for every aspect of human life. Inadequate sleep has a massive negative impact on health and work. There is very limited information about the impact of COVID-19 on the sleep disturbance of health-care workers. In our current study, we aim to find answers to certain questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep patterns on nurses working in COVID care area.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 305 health-care workers who were purposively enrolled for this study. The study was conducted at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India, from April to June 2021. An e-survey method was used to collect data. A questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, queries about sleep disturbances, and the patient health questionnaire-9 scale to assess anxiety among participants are among the research tools.

Results: Mean age of health-care workers was 26.3 years (SD = 6.3). Most of them were women (81%) with a bachelor's degree in nursing (62%), nursing interns (46%), and married (71%). The majority of nurses (85%) were not infected with COVID and were given suitable personal protective equipment (46%) in the hospital. The majority of participants (45%) got 6-8 h of sleep per night did not receive any sleep therapy (90%). The most of participants (42%) reported that they did not enjoy performing activities and were under moderate stress (15.4).

Conclusion: Health-care workers are struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic with limited and almost hackneyed resources. Healthy sleep is everyone's right. The current situation of the pandemic has a great impact on the psychological health of frontline health-care workers by affecting their professional performance.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-somnia; health-care workers; nurses; pandemic; sleep disturbance; stress.