Epidemiology of sleep disorders during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic scoping review

  1. Samia Tasnim
  2. Mariya Rahman
  3. Priyanka Pawar
  4. Xinli Chi
  5. Qian Yu
  6. Liye Zou
  7. Abida Sultana
  8. E. Lisako J. McKyer
  9. Ping Ma
  10. Md Mahbub Hossain

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Abstract

Background

A growing burden of mental health problems has become a global concern amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Sleep disorders are major mental health problems associated with increased psychosocial stressors; however, no research synthesis is available on the epidemiology of it. In this systematic scoping review, we aimed to assess the current evidence on the epidemiological burden, associated factors, and interventions from the existing literature.

Method

Seven major health databases and additional sources were searched to identify, evaluate, and synthesize empirical studies on the prevalence and correlates of sleep disorders and available interventions. The Joanna Briggs Institute Methodology for Scoping Review were used, and the findings were reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist.

Results

A total of 78 articles were retrieved, the prevalence of sleeping disorders ranged from 2.3% to 76.6%. Age, sex, level of education, physical and mental health, COVID-19 related factors, occupation especially being health care workers (HCW) were the main associated factors. Only two intentions were identified to address the issue.

Conclusion

The finding of this review indicated a high burden of sleep disorder with limited interventions that necessitate informing policymakers and practitioners to facilitate future research and implementations.

Brief summary

Current Knowledge/Study Rationale

Despite the paramount importance of sleep for the physical and mental wellbeing of individuals, sleep hygiene is often neglected which resulted in a high prevalence of sleep disorders across the globe. This condition is likely to worsen amid this pandemic. This is the first systematic scoping review of sleep disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study Impact

The findings of our study suggest a high prevalence of sleep disorder and highlight a wide range of socio-demographic factors to identify population groups vulnerable to the adverse outcomes of sleep disorder with limited interventions. These pieces of evidence will guide clinicians to make informed choices for better management of patients and aid public health professionals to prevent sleep disorder epidemic concurring with the current pandemic.

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  1. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2020.10.08.20209148: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    Institutional Review Board Statementnot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    Software and Algorithms
    SentencesResources
    . 2.1 Search strategy: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Academic Search Ultimate
    MEDLINE
    suggested: (MEDLINE, RRID:SCR_002185)
    Embase
    suggested: (EMBASE, RRID:SCR_001650)
    e, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science, and APA PsycInfo databases using the keywords with Boolean operators “AND/OR” as mentioned in Table 1.
    PsycInfo
    suggested: (PsycINFO, RRID:SCR_014799)
    Moreover, we searched the reference lists and citing articles in Google Scholar to identify additional articles that could have met our criteria.
    Google Scholar
    suggested: (Google Scholar, RRID:SCR_008878)

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:
    it is essential to consider such limitations of the existing research efforts and design inclusive methodology’s that may include diverse populations. In future research, measurements on psychosocial health outcomes including sleep disorders can be included in primary care and hospital health records that may offer valuable information on sleep disorders and other mental health problems. Nonetheless, Population based research exploring health and social aspects of COVID-19 may include instruments measuring the impacts of this pandemic on sleep behavior in different populations. Such approaches may improve the research production and the quality of data on Epidemiology of sleep disorders during this pandemic. 4.3 Implications for mental health policymaking and practice: This review examined the Epidemiology of sleep disorders, which may provide meaningful insights for mental health policy making and practice. The ongoing interventions and preventive measures adopted in different contexts should revisit the components that may influence sleep outcomes across populations. Institutional and local policies and programs on mental health should not only target mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, but also emphasize on sleep disorders that are highly prevalent in COVID-19 affected populations. Specific provisions should be made to prevent, diagnose, and treat sleep disorders. The emergence of telemedicine and online support systems provide unique opportunities from a publ...

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  2. Version published to 10.1101/2020.10.08.20209148 on medRxiv