A Reason for Admission to the Sleep Outpatient Clinic during COVID-19 Pandemic: Insomnia

Abstract

Aim: Sleep can be affected for various reasons such as social isolation, online education, shift work, etc. during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. People who have comorbid psychiatric or sleep disorders before the pandemic are thought to be more affected. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep quality and insomnia.
 Material and Methods: Our study was a retrospective study, and patients who admitted to the sleep outpatient clinic with insomnia complaints during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. The complaints, sociodemographic characteristics, and diagnosis of the patients were obtained from medical records.
 Results: Fifty-three patients diagnosed with insomnia according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders third edition (ICSD-3) were included in the study. The mean sleep time before the pandemic was 6.8±1.2 hours, while it was 5.9±1.7 hours after the pandemic. After the pandemic, 13 (24.5%) patients had shortened sleep duration. There was no difference in clinical features between those whose sleep duration decreased and did not change during the pandemic. Twenty (37.7%) patients' complaints of insomnia started during the pandemic. Most of the patients whose complaints started during the pandemic were male (n=12, 60.0%). Their main complaint was difficulty in falling asleep (n=18, 90.0%). The anxiety symptoms were remarkable.
 Conclusion: Sleep disorders during the pandemic are an important problem for everyone. However, some individuals have a higher risk of sleep problems. Therefore, the results of our study may contribute to the interventions aimed at improving sleep quality during pandemic.