200 COVID-19 Pandemic Sleep Changes Related to Social and Financial Impacts at the US-Mexico Border

Abstract

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused major impacts to social and financial status for many people, including those living in the vulnerable US-Mexico border region. This study examined relationships between changes in sleep and perceived impacts to social and financial stability due to the pandemic.MethodsParticipants were 155 individuals who completed the Nogales Cardiometabolic Health and Sleep (NOCHES) and were contacted about completing a COVID sub-study (95% Hispanic/Latino). Participants were asked if the COVID-19 pandemic was causing them to feel more socially isolated, negatively impacting their finances, causing increased worry about finances, affecting their primary job, causing a job loss, and impacting their belief life will one day return to normal. In addition, they were asked to report the degree to which they experienced pandemic-related changes to sleep, including a regularity, overall improvement/worsening, initial and middle-of-the-night insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and napping. Logistic regression analyses were adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomics, and mental health (PHQ4).ResultsThose who kept a more regular schedule had lower odds of endorsing isolation (OR=0.32,p<0.0005) and higher odds of believing things will return to normal (OR=1.67,p=0.041). Those whose sleep improved also had lower odds of feeling isolated (OR=0.40,p=0.005). Those with worsened sleep had increased odds of feeling isolated (OR=2.14,p=0.023), experiencing a financial impact (OR=1.85,p=0.016) and increased financial worry (OR=1.71,p=0.033), and lower odds of believing things will return to normal (OR=0.53,p=0.012). More initial insomnia was associated with isolation (OR=3.62,p=0.001), financial impact, (OR=1.89,p=0.015), financial worry (OR=1.87,p=0.016) and job impact (OR=1.95,p=0.010). More middle-of-the-night insomnia was associated with financial worry (OR=1.82,p=0.016) and job impact (OR=1.93,p=0.009). More sleepiness was associated with job loss (OR=1.84,p=0.043). More napping was associated with financial impact (OR=1.89,p=0.017) and worry (OR=1.88,p=0.017), impact to job (OR=1.89,p=0.016) or lost job (OR=1.81,p=0.041), and decreased likelihood of believing things will return to normal (OR=0.45,p=0.003).ConclusionPandemic-related stress was linked with sleep disturbances. Worse sleep was indicative of increased social isolation, greater financial fears, more job-related impacts and less of a general sense that things would return to normal.Support (if any)Supported by T32HL007249, R01MD011600, R01DA051321