Citation Information :
Edet BE, Essien EA, Okafor CJ, Olose EO, Atu GE, Olojo OR, Audu AA, Okoro AC. Sleep Health and COVID-19-related Anxiety during the Lockdown Phase of the Pandemic in Nigeria: A Preliminary Report. Indian Sleep Med 2022; 17 (2):37-43.
Background: During the pandemic's peak, changes in sleep and dreaming were reported around the world.
Objective: The objective was to assess changes in sleep and dreaming during the lockdown phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Nigeria. It also aimed to determine how these changes might be related to COVID-19-related fear.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Data were collected from 288 respondents using an online survey. Apart from sociodemographic characteristics, questions were asked about sleep and dream changes. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCS) were also administered.
Results: The mean age of respondents was 33 years, and 52% were females. Poor sleep quality was present in 65.1%. An increase in dream recall frequency (DRF) was reported in 20.5%, while 15.5% mainly had negatively themed dreams. Sleep latency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction were significantly associated with changes in DRF (p <0.05). Subjective sleep quality, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, daytime dysfunction, overall sleep quality, and fear of COVID-19 were all significantly associated with the theme of dreams (p <0.05). In binary logistic regression, fear of COVID-19 [odds ratio (OR): 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02–1.13], negatively themed dreams (OR: 8.03, 95% CI: 1.81–35.57), and positively themed dreams (OR: 0.38 95% CI: 0.17–0.87) emerged as predictors of sleep quality.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted sleep quality at its peak.
Clinical significance: Clinicians should pay more attention to dream changes as they could serve as indicators of sleep quality.
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