People with insomnia and exhaustion are twice as likely to be infected with COVID-19 – but each extra hour of sleep reduces the risk of infection by 12%, the study shows.
- The researchers analyzed the results of a survey of 2,884 health workers, of whom 568 reported contracting COVID-19
- For each additional hour of sleep, the chances of coronavirus infection decreased by 12%
- Healthcare workers who have contracted coronavirus are almost twice as likely to report three or more sleep problems or need sleeping pills.
- Those who suffered daily exhaustion were more than twice as likely to get COVID-19
People who have insomnia or experience exhaustion are more likely to get COVID-19, a new study suggests.
The researchers found that for every extra hour of sleep, the chances of coronavirus infection decreased by 12%.
Moreover, for those who suffer from daily exhaustion, they were twice as likely to get the virus.
The team, led by the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, believes that these conditions weaken the immune system, which increases susceptibility to diseases such as COVID-19.
A new study found that health care workers who came in contact with coronavirus were almost twice as likely to report three or more sleep problems or need sleeping pills.
Those who suffered daily exhaustion were more than twice as likely to get COVID-19
Previous research has shown that insufficient sleep and burnout are associated with an increased risk of viral and bacterial infections.
However, the team says it was unclear whether these factors were also associated with an increased risk of COVID-19.
For the new study, published in the journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, the researchers looked at the results of a survey of health care workers repeatedly exposed to coronavirus-infected patients.
The survey, which took place from July 17 to September 25, was conducted by health workers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Respondents were asked for details about their lifestyle and health status, including how much they slept and exhaustion from work.
Of the 2,884 health workers who participated in the survey, 568 of them reported having contracted COVID-19 in the past.
The researchers found that about 24 percent – one in four – of those with COVID-19 said they had trouble sleeping at night, compared with 21 percent – or one in five – of those who had not been infected.
Healthcare workers who have contracted coronavirus have been almost twice as likely to report three or more sleep problems or need sleeping pills.
For every one-hour increase in sleep at night, there was a 12% lower chance of infection, but a six percent higher chance for each hour spent sleeping.
The same association was found with burnout.
About 5.5 percent of health workers who caught COVID-19 reported daily exhaustion, compared with three percent of workers without infection.
Those who reported frequent exhaustion were also three times more likely to say that their infection was severe compared to workers who became ill but did not have frequent exhaustion.
In addition, 18.2 percent of workers who did not get sick said they never experience exhaustion, compared with 13.7 percent of those who suffered.
Although the biology behind insomnia and exhaustion increases the risk remains unclear, the authors believe that both conditions weaken the immune system, which increases the chances of contracting COVID-19.
“These studies have suggested that burnout can directly or indirectly predict diseases caused by occupational stress that affect the immune system and alter cortisol levels,” they wrote.
“We found that lack of sleep at night, severe sleep problems and high levels of burnout can be risk factors for COVID-19 in the first line. [healthcare workers]. Our results highlight the importance of the well-being of health professionals during the pandemic.
