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COVID-19 lockdown - Are Austrians finally able to compensate their sleep debt?

Brigitte Holzinger, Lucille Mayer, Franziska Nierwetberg, Gerhard Klösch

Sleep medicine: X January 12, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleepx.2021.100032 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational survey Peer reviewed
Sample size 77
Population Austrian adults during the COVID-19 lockdown (50 women, mean age 40.88 years)
Topics Dreaming
Keywords Sleep deprivation Daytime sleepiness Corona Sleep quality Dream Sleep duration
Key findings Subjective sleep quality was higher during the COVID-19 lockdown, particularly in women, and daytime sleepiness was significantly lower, while sleep duration did not change. The authors suggest sleep issues were less prominent during lockdown but argue for prevention and treatment of sleep disorders beyond the pandemic and for more flexible social time structures to relieve those managing multiple roles, such as working mothers.

Abstract

In order to control the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Austria was put under national lockdown beginning on March 13, 2020, forcing its inhabitants to live in home confinement. The aim of this study was to measure the impact of the lockdown on sleep and dream behavior in Austrian citizens. 77 participants (50 women, M age = 40.88 years, S D age = 13.72) filled in an online questionnaire during the lockdown between April and May 2020. Sleep quality, sleep quantity, daytime sleepiness, and nightmare frequency were assessed and analyzed in relation to gender, burnout risk, perfectionism and chronotype. Results demonstrated higher subjective sleep quality during lockdown, especially in women. Daytime sleepiness was significantly lower during the lockdown period while sleep duration did not change. Results suggest that sleep issues are less prominent during the COVID-19 lockdown but point to the importance of prevention and treatment of sleep disorders aside from the pandemic. Findings indicate the need for more flexibility in social time structures to relieve those managing tasks from multiple areas of interests such as working mothers. Generalization of results is limited due to small sample size, self-selection bias, and purely subjective measures.

Comparable studies

Other cross-sectional and survey studies on dreaming, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States 2011 Observational cross-sectional survey n = 583
Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese adults from the community, mean age 40.9 years (SD 5.5,... 2010 Cross-sectional survey with subsequent clinical evaluation (two-phase design) n = 8,558
Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Adults (general population sample) 2003 Cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling n = 444
The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams 2014 Online survey n = 684
Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Representative sample of German adults 2011 Cross-sectional survey n = 919

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