Sleep disorders in the acute phase of coronavirus disease 2019: an overview and risk factor study

Sleep disorders are common during the outbreak of pandemic diseases, and similar disorders are noted in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. It is valuable to explore the clinical manifestations and risk factors for sleep disorders in COVID-19 patients.

Inpatients with COVID-19 were enrolled. Detailed clinical information was collected, and sleep quality was assessed by PSQI. Patients were divided into a sleep disorder group and a normal group based on a PSQI ≥ 7, and the clinical features were compared between the groups.

Fifty-three patients were enrolled, and 47.2% presented sleep disorders. Sleep disorders were associated with older age (> 50), anemia and carbon dioxide retention. Furthermore, factors associated with abnormal component scores of the PSQI were: (1) patients with older age were more likely to have decreased sleep quality, prolonged sleep latency, decreased sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction; (2) decreased sleep quality and prolonged sleep latency were associated with dyspnea, whereas carbon dioxide retention and more lobes involved in chest CT were associated with prolonged sleep latency; (3) decreased sleep efficiency was more prevalent in patients with anemia.

Sleep disorders were prevalent in patients during the acute phase of COVID-19, and many risk factors (older age, anemia, carbon dioxide retention, the number of lobes involved in chest CT, and dyspnea) were identified. It is important to assess the presence of sleep disorders in patients to provide early intervention.