Sleep During Quarantine: Longer, More Regular, But Not As Good

Sleep during quarantine: longer, more regular, but not as good

When people don't have to go to school and work, they sleep longer and their daily routine gets better. But the quality of sleep, according to them, is getting worse. To improve the quality of sleep, scientists recommend outdoor physical activity for people.

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Living in quarantine can lead to unexpected sleep changes. They are covered by two studies published in Current Biology.

Both studies have shown that people who do not have to commute to work and go to school have less social jetlag. This term describes the difference between bedtime and waking up on weekdays and weekends. Scientists assumed that this change would lead to better sleep quality, but the research results did not quite live up to their expectations.

The first study, conducted by scientists from the University of Basel, involved 435 people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Scientists collected data online, and participants were asked about the amount and quality of sleep over six weeks, from March 23 to April 26, 2020. 85% of participants continued to work remotely during quarantine.

The increase in sleep duration was up to 50 minutes compared to pre-quarantine rates in 75% of study participants. At the same time, those surveyed felt that their sleep quality was slightly worse than before. Scientists expected improvement from this indicator in connection with a decrease in the "social jet lag".

Another study involved 139 American students. It was conducted by scientists from the University of Colorado. The sleep duration of the quarantined participants increased by 24-30 minutes. Before the start of quarantine, 84% of students received the recommended 7 hours of sleep, after - 92%. Among the main findings, scientists cite the ability to influence students' bad sleeping habits.

Dr. Christine Blume, author of a European study, points out that poor sleep quality can be counteracted by outdoor exercise.