Nearly half of participants with a history of depression reported a shift in sleep patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 16% transitioning to short sleep and 27% to long sleep, according to a recent study.
The research aimed to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced sleep patterns in participants with a history of depression, focusing specifically on factors that could predict changes among those with optimal sleep patterns pre-pandemic. The study analyzed sociodemographic, clinical, and genetic factors that could predict changes in sleep duration.
The cohort consisted of 6,453 adults from the Australian Genetics of Depression Study, with a mean age of 45 years and 75% women. All participants had a self-reported history of depression, with 98.5% having consulted a professional about mental health issues and 93.4% being diagnosed with depression. Participants completed surveys both before (2016–2018) and during the pandemic (2020–2021). Sleep duration was categorized into three groups: short sleep (<6 hours), optimal sleep (6–8 hours), and long sleep (>8 hours).
Before the pandemic, 70% of participants reported optimal sleep, but this dropped to 49% during the pandemic. The proportion of 'long sleepers' nearly doubled from 16% to 31%, while 'short sleep' increased from 14% to 20%. Of those who initially reported optimal sleep, 57% maintained optimal sleep, 16% transitioned to short sleep, and 27% shifted to long sleep.
Group comparisons revealed that participants in the 'optimal-to-short sleep' group had worse mental health before the pandemic, with higher psychological distress, more psychotic-like symptoms, and increased insomnia severity. They also showed higher suicidality risk, higher somatic and psychological symptoms, and higher exposure to stressful life events. During the pandemic, this group had lower rates of engagement in paid work and was more likely to be in the lowest income band. They also had a higher depression polygenic score. In contrast, the 'optimal-to-long sleep' group was slightly younger, more distressed, and had a higher propensity to be evening types, with a modestly higher depression polygenic score.
Multivariate regression analysis identified several predictors for the 'optimal-to-short sleep' group, including stressful life events, psychological distress, and insomnia severity. No significant predictors emerged for the 'optimal-to-long sleep' group after multiple testing corrections.
Published in BMJ Mental Health, the study concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic, as a natural experiment, resulted in significant shifts in sleep patterns among participants with a history of depression. These changes were influenced by a complex interplay of mental health, sociodemographic, and genetic factors. The study had several limitations, including its reliance on self-reported sleep duration rather than objective measurements and the inability to directly compare mental health changes due to different assessments used in the two surveys.
Full disclosures can be found in the published study.
