Prevalence of sleep disturbances during COVID-19 outbreak in an urban Chinese population: a cross-sectional study

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic is a large-scale public health emergency that likely precipitated sleep disturbances in the community. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of sleep disturbances during the early phrase of COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This web-based cross-sectional study recruited 1,138 Hong Kong adults using convenience sampling over a 2-week period from 6th April 2020. The survey collected data on sleep disturbances, mood, stress, stock of infection control supplies, perceived risk of being infected by COVID-19, and sources for acquiring COVID-19 information. The participants were asked to compare their recent sleep and sleep before the outbreak. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was used to assess their current insomnia severity. Prevalence was weighted according to 2016 population census. Results The weighted prevalence of worsened sleep quality, difficulty in sleep initiation, and shortened sleep duration since the outbreak were 38.3%, 29.8%, and 29.1%, respectively. The prevalence of current insomnia (ISI score of ≥10) was 29.9%. Insufficient stock of masks was significantly associated with worsened sleep quality, impaired sleep initiation, shortened sleep duration, and current insomnia in multivariate logistic regression (adjusted OR=1.57, 1.72, 1.99, and 1.96 respectively, all p
Highlights • Around 30-40% of the respondents felt their sleep worsened since the local outbreak. • The prevalence of insomnia in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic was high. • An insufficient store of masks for 1-month was associated with worsening of sleep. • A stable supply of masks may play a role in sleep health during an outbreak.