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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2021; 14(S 01): 56-62
DOI: 10.5935/1984-0063.20200079
ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Prevalence of sleep disturbance and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia

Shazia Iqbal
1   Alfarabi College of Medicine, Medical Education Unit - Riyadh - Alfarabi - Saudi Arabia.
,
Reem Fahad Alanazi
1   Alfarabi College of Medicine, Medical Education Unit - Riyadh - Alfarabi - Saudi Arabia.
,
Ali Hussain Alahmed
1   Alfarabi College of Medicine, Medical Education Unit - Riyadh - Alfarabi - Saudi Arabia.
,
Anwar Faleh Alnakhli
1   Alfarabi College of Medicine, Medical Education Unit - Riyadh - Alfarabi - Saudi Arabia.
,
Mohammed Hejji Alghanim
1   Alfarabi College of Medicine, Medical Education Unit - Riyadh - Alfarabi - Saudi Arabia.
,
Manal Abdullah Ali Alghamdi
1   Alfarabi College of Medicine, Medical Education Unit - Riyadh - Alfarabi - Saudi Arabia.
,
Shahzad Ahmad
2   FMH College of Medicine and Dentistry, Dentistry Department - Lahore - Pakistan - Pakistan.
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ABSTRACT

Introduction: In the COVID-19 pandemic, physical and psychological health are of immense concern for the governing bodies and health policymakers in the period of lockdown and self-isolation. An in-depth analysis is required to recognize the changes in mental health among the public of different geographical areas.

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the sleep quality and anxiety among the population in Saudi Arabia during the lockdown period from March to June 2020.

Material and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study and surveyed the population in Saudi Arabia during the lockdown. We analyzed the anxiety and sleep quality in a population with variable socio-demographic profiles. We assessed anxiety using the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) questionnaire and tested the sleep quality by using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) questionnaire. We analysed the questionnaire responses to determine the relationships between anxiety, stress, sleep disturbances by using SPSS, and considered the p-value<0.05 statistically significant.

Results: We collected 397 questionnaires from the participants. The respondents were mostly of youth age (19-24 years), 66.5% of respondents were male, while there were 33.5% females. Most of the participants did not contact any COVID-19 patients (75.1%, n=298). The finding revealed that most people did not consider associated anxiety as a worrying disorder as the vast majority were normal with only 12.6% had mild-to-moderate anxiety and almost 1% had moderate-to-severe anxiety. While correlating the sleep patterns disturbance in individuals who had contact with COVID-19 patients, there was a significant sleep disturbance. The disturbance of sleep was in having problems falling sleep (p-value=0.024), having bad/horrible dreams (p-value=0.017), feeling cold at sleeping (p-value=0.038), and difficulty staying active during eating or driving (p-value=0.012). There was a significant correlation with anxiety related to the COVID-19 contact and problems affecting the routine work (p-value=0.001).

Conclusion: There is a significant correlation with anxiety related to the contact with COVID-19 positive patients and problems affecting the routine work among operational professionals. The sleep quality is poor due to the stay-at-home order, having a disorganized working schedule, and deprived lifestyle. The awareness regarding the publics’ mental health related to the pandemic needs to be implemented and psychological guidelines ought to be available for the public. Health measures through the promotion of lifestyle modifications, mindful body practices, meditation, and home exercise can reduce stress and improve the quality of sleep.

Keywords:

Mental Health - Coronavirus Infections - Anxiety Disorders - Pandemics - Psychological Distress - Sleep Deprivation


Publication History

Received: 06 August 2020

Accepted: 30 November 2020

Article published online:
30 November 2023

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