Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many people live. To assess its impact on sleep quality and quantity, blue light exposure, and the mental health of Polish university students, a cross-sectional survey was conducted. Almost half of the participants were medical students (47.62%; n = 630). The majority of students were suffering from insomnia (58.13%, n = 769). Almost every third student was sleeping less than 7 h a day (30.39%, n = 402). Our study showed that a short sleep duration correlates with poorer mental health outcomes. Respondents who declared sadness and depression were more likely to suffer from insomnia (OR = 5.6997, 95% CI: 4.3641–7.4441). Difficulty with tasks was also more likely to co-occur with insomnia (OR = 5.4723, 95% CI: 4.3007 to 6.9630). The results of this study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the deterioration of sleep quality and quantity as well as the psychological well-being of Polish students. It is important to take steps to promote proper sleeping habits to alleviate the risk of mental health disorders in this group of people.
Highlights
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly changed the ordinary way many people function
The aim of this article was to present the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep quality and quantity, blue light exposure, and mental health of Polish university students
The results from the Pandemic against LifeStyle (PaLS) study show a disturbing phenomenon with 64.26% of students exposed to blue light for more than 4 h a day
Summary
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly changed the ordinary way many people function. Restrictions first introduced by the government in March 2020 to limit the spread of the pandemic forced people to limit social interactions. The increasing number of SARS-CoV-2 infections [1] made many people afraid of their own and their loved ones’. The unstable economic situation [2] has raised anxiety about the future. Based on observations and the available literature, it was assumed that the changes have affected people’s lifestyles, which could reflect on medical problems we will be dealing with in the future. Sleep disorders have been linked with increased sadness and decreased pleasure and interest in daily occasions [3]. Poor sleep quality and insomnia are associated with incident depression [4], insulin resistance, hypertension, diabetes, weight gain, stress [5], and they are connected with a tendency to drug dependence and tobacco and hypnotics use [6]
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