192 Self-reported sleep features in the Italian population across the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Introduction Several studies have shown the negative impact of COVID-19-related confinement measures (spring 2020) on sleep features and quality. Here we aim to follow-up on these data by assessing self-reported sleep characteristics during the second wave of the pandemic (autumn 2020) in Italy, where the government responded with a second, partial, lockdown. Methods Using a longitudinal approach, 214 participants (Mage=36.78±14.2y; 159F) who had participated in a previous survey (April 2020 – Total Lockdown, TL) completed the same online survey from November 10th to December 1st (Partial Lockdown, PL). In each survey, participants had to respond to a set of questionnaires, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), referring to their current situation and, retrospectively, to their situation before the lockdown, resulting in four time-points (pre-TL, TL, pre-PL, PL). Results Linear mixed-model analysis showed that bedtime was delayed from pre-TL (23:46) to TL (24:42) and then linearly advanced in pre-PL (24:02) and PL (23:56). The same pattern emerged for rise time (pre-TL: 07:48, TL: 9:05, pre-PL: 8:28, PL: 7:58) and time in bed, which increased from pre-TL (8h4min) to TL (8h24min) and then linearly decreased (pre-PL: 8h15m, PL: 8h2m). Subjective sleep quality decreased in the two lockdowns compared to the period with no restrictions. The proportion of poor sleepers (PSQI>5) increased from 39.7% (pre-TL) to 48.6% in TL and again from 36.9% (pre-PL) to 47.7% in PL. Conclusion Sleep habits and quality showed different profiles across four time-points of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictive measures. Sleep timing alterations appeared during the first lockdown, recovered after the confinement period, and almost returned to baseline during the second lockdown (likely due to a normalization of working schedules). Instead, subjective sleep quality markedly worsened during both lockdowns relative to the preceding respective months. These data suggest that subjective sleep quality is particularly sensitive to changes in life habits and psychological factors, independently of sleep habits. Considering that the pandemic situation may continue for several months, there is a need for interventions targeting sleep quality. Support (if any) N/A

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191 Dream features of the Italian population across the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab072.190 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. A77-A77

Author(s):

Marisssa Rescott ◽

Francesca Conte ◽

Oreste De Rosa ◽

Nicola Cellini ◽

Serena Malloggi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Online Survey ◽

Negative Mood ◽

Negative Emotionality ◽

Italian Population ◽

Continuity Hypothesis ◽

Subjective Sleep Quality ◽

Major Life ◽

Time Points ◽

Second Wave

Abstract Introduction The Italian government has responded to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (autumn 2020) with a partial lockdown (PL). Here we aim to investigate the effects of the PL on dream features in the Italian population and to follow up on previous data collected during the total lockdown (TL) effected during the first wave of the pandemic (spring 2020). Methods Using a longitudinal approach, 214 participants (Mage=36.78±14.2y; 159F) who had participated in a previous survey (April 2020 – TL) completed the same online survey from November 10th to December 1st (PL). The questionnaires administered included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and a set of specific ad hoc questions on dream features (frequency, length, vividness, emotional tone, relation of content to the current health emergency) and their possible changes relative to the month preceding the lockdown, resulting in four time points (pre-TL, TL, pre-PL, PL). Results Frequency and length of dreams significantly increased from pre-PL to PL (both p’s<.01), while no difference emerged for vividness. As in TL, almost 30% of the subjects reported having COVID-19-related dreams during PL and, among these, 51% reported to face, in these dreams, problematic situations similar to those of their daily life. Both PSQI and dream negative emotionality scores significantly increased from pre-TL to TL, decreased in pre-PL and increased again in PL, indicating a parallel worsening of sleep quality and dream emotionality with both lockdowns. Dream negative emotionality in PL also showed positive correlations with PSQI scores and with negative mood, stress levels, general fear and fear about the COVID-19. Conclusion In line with the continuity hypothesis on the relationships between dreaming and the wake state, our data confirm that dream features are significantly and immediately affected by major life changes such as those brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. Interestingly, dream emotionality and subjective sleep quality show a parallel profile across the different time points, suggesting the possible role of sleep quality as a modulating factor on dream affect. Support (if any) N/A

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The Effect of Uncoupled Sleep and Dysfunctional Sleep Beliefs on Sleep Outcomes in Older Adults following Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: A Single-Group Non-randomized Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.35964 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yvonne Kutzer ◽

Lisa Whitehead ◽

Eimear Quigley ◽

Shih Ching Fu ◽

Mandy Stanley

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Mixed Model ◽

Linear Mixed Model ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Sleep Onset ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Subjective Sleep Quality ◽

Subjective Sleep

BACKGROUND The current Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a marked interest in sleep health, as well as an increased demand for telehealth services, such as online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Older adults in particular report a high rate of sleep problems. Recent studies have suggested that dysfunctional sleep beliefs could contribute to the high rates of self-reported insomnia in this age group. In addition, older adults have an increased rate of uncoupled sleep, e.g. displaying an insomnia complaint in the absence of objectively measured poor sleep. It is essential to determine the prevalence of coupled and uncoupled sleep in older adults and to examine the efficacy of online CBT-I to improve sleep outcomes. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assess objective and subjective sleep quality and dysfunctional sleep beliefs in a sample of community-dwelling older adults aged 60-80 years with and without uncoupled sleep in Western Australia following digitally delivered CBT-I. METHODS Objective sleep was measured using wrist actigraphy, and subjective sleep quality via sleep diaries and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Dysfunctional sleep beliefs were assessed by the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep scale (DBAS-16) prior to and following a four-week online CBT-I programme. Linear mixed model and generalised linear mixed model analyses were conducted to examine objective and subjective sleep onset latency, total sleep time, wake after sleep onset and number of awakenings as well as PSQI and DBAS16 scores, respectively. RESULTS 62 participants (55 females; 88.7%) completed the study. CBT-I effectively reduced dysfunctional sleep beliefs and PSQI scores across all sleep classifications, even in good sleepers without a sleep complaint. Objective and self-reported changes in sleep parameters were mainly demonstrated in complaining poor sleepers. Complaining good sleepers reported a decrease in the number of subjective sleep awakenings only. CONCLUSIONS Online CBT-I was effective in improving the sleep outcomes of individuals who had both subjective and objective poor sleep. However, as the online CBT-I reduced dysfunctional sleep beliefs in all sleep groups, further examination of dysfunctional sleep beliefs and whether they mediate the outcomes of digital CBT-I in older adults will need to be conducted. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), ACTRN 12619001509156; http://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=378451 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-32705

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Prevalence and Determinants of Bad Sleep Perception among Italian Children and Adolescents

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17249363 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (24) ◽

pp. 9363

Author(s):

Serena Malloggi ◽

Francesca Conte ◽

Giorgio Gronchi ◽

Gianluca Ficca ◽

Fiorenza Giganti

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Depressed Mood ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Sleep Latency ◽

Sleep Habits ◽

Subjective Sleep Quality ◽

Quality Perception ◽

Subjective Sleep

Although sleep problems at young ages are well investigated, the prevalence of bad sleepers and the determinants of sleep quality perception remain unexplored in these populations. For this purpose, we addressed these issues in a sample of children (n = 307), preadolescents (n = 717), and adolescents (n = 406) who completed the School Sleep Habits Survey, addressing sleep quality perception, sleep habits, sleep features, daytime behavior and sleep disturbances, circadian preference, and dreaming. The sample was split in “good sleepers” and “bad sleepers”, based on the answer to the question item assessing overall subjective sleep quality. Being a bad sleeper was reported by 11.7% of the sample, with significant between-groups differences (children: 8.3%; preadolescents: 11.3%; adolescents: 15.3%; p = 0.01). At all ages, relative to good sleepers, bad sleepers showed higher eveningness, sleepiness, and depression, longer sleep latency, more frequent insufficient sleep, nocturnal awakenings, sleep–wake behavioral problems, and unpleasant dreams (all p’s ≤ 0.01). Sleep quality perception was predicted: in children, by depressed mood, eveningness, and unpleasant dreams (all p’s ≤ 0.01); in preadolescents, by sleep latency, awakening frequency, depressed mood, sufficiency of sleep, and unpleasant dreams (all p’s < 0.01); in adolescents, by awakening frequency, depressed mood, and sufficiency of sleep (all p’s < 0.001). In children, bad subjective sleep quality appears to be mainly determined by daytime psychological features, for example, depressed mood, whereas at later ages, sleep characteristics, such as frequent awakenings, add to the former determinants. This could depend on (a) the appearance, with increasing age, of objective sleep modifications and (b) a greater attention paid by adolescents to their sleep characteristics.

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A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Based Study to Evaluate Subjective Sleep Quality among Undergraduate Students in India

International Journal of Indian Psychology ◽

10.25215/0904.024 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Nirmegh Basu ◽

Akansha Saxena ◽

Ayushi Sarraf ◽

Anoop Singh ◽

Akshanshi Gulani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Well Being ◽

Common Belief ◽

Survey Analysis ◽

Subjective Sleep Quality ◽

Subjective Sleep

Irregular sleep patterns are often a major hindrance in the life of undergraduate students, fueled by the undulating lifestyle anomalies and new vulnerabilities that come with college life. Insomnia, slapdash sleep cycles, and daytime dysfunction may affect both physical as well as mental well-being of individuals. India has the largest share of young adults in the world, which also makes it a likely epicenter for increasing sleep disorders. Students are often exposed to a significantly high level of academic burden and turn to options such as pulling all-nighters that further propel these issues. Most students realize the effects of a bad sleep schedule but nonetheless sacrifice it for the promise of better grades ignoring the double-edged sword. This study assesses the association of self-rated subjective sleep quality with habits prevalent among undergraduate students in India and its effect on their academic performance. Based on a modified PSQI questionnaire, the participants’ sleep quality was scored and a large majority of students showed an overall moderately good sleep quality. Insufficient sleep was seen to have an adverse effect on facial appearance, work productivity and enthusiasm for daily chores, among students. Unlike previous reports, the current dataset did not reveal any significant impact of sleep quality on the academic performance of the students. We also analyzed the most prevalent factors that were responsible for disruption of sleep in college goers and probed the major reasons for nighttime phone usage, which revealed social media to be a major contributor. Although the negative impact of sleep deprivation on academic performance has been studied earlier, any differential impact of stream has not been addressed thoroughly. Unlike the common belief of disparity induced due to stream-based academic pressure, our survey analysis showed insignificant contribution of stream leading to differences in sleep quality of students. Although participants’ reported mild disruption in sleep, it was observed across all streams and it did not seem to have an immediate effect on overall sleep quality of undergraduate students.

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Association between sleep hygiene and sleep quality in medical students

10.31234/osf.io/8nczx ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Cameron Brick

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Sleep Hygiene ◽

Future Research ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Sleep Habits ◽

Subjective Sleep Quality ◽

Web Based ◽

Subjective Sleep ◽

Future Research Directions

The aim of the current study was to determine whether subjective sleep quality was reduced in medical students, and whether demographics and sleep hygiene behaviors were associated with sleep quality. A web-based survey was completed by 314 medical students, containing questions about demographics, sleep habits, exercise habits, caffeine, tobacco and alcohol use, and subjective sleep quality (using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). Correlation and regression analyses tested for associations among demographics, sleep hygiene behaviors, and sleep quality. As hypothesized, medical students’ sleep quality was significantly worse than a healthy adult normative sample (t=5.13, p<.001). Poor sleep quality in medical students was predicted by several demographic and sleep hygiene variables, and future research directions are proposed.Brick, C., Seely, D. L., & Palermo, T. M. (2010). Association between sleep hygiene and sleep quality in medical students. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 8(2), 113–121. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15402001003622925

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0219 Subjective Sleep Quality Measured Before, Predicts Psychological Safety After Simulated Combat Training. Testing the Bidirectional Link Between Sleep and Social Processes in the Military Operational Context

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.217 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. A85-A85

Author(s):

W Sowden ◽

M St. Pierre ◽

C Mickelson ◽

J Mantua

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Psychological Safety ◽

Social Processes ◽

Subjective Sleep Quality ◽

Subjective Sleep ◽

Time Points ◽

Combat Training ◽

The Cross ◽

The Right ◽

The Military

Abstract Introduction The research on sleep in the social-psychological domain is sparse. Gordon and colleagues (Gordon, Mendes, & Prather, 2017) proposed a bidirectional relationship between sleep and social processes. The current research tests this model in the military by examining the relationship between subjective sleep quality and an important social cognitive process in the contexts of military teams - psychological safety (i.e., an individual’s perceptions of interpersonal threat in their work environment; Edmondson, 1999). Methods One hundred and twenty-eight U.S. Army tank crewmen were surveyed prior to (T1), and immediately after (T2), participating in a two-week simulated combat training exercise. Each survey included the seven-item Insomnia Severity Index (ISI; Bastien et al., 2001), which served as a measure of subjective sleep quality (SSQ), and Edmonson’s seven-item Psychological Safety Questionnaire which measured team psychological safety (TPS). A cross-lagged panel model tested the effects of SSQ and TPS over the course of the training. Results Both SSQ and TPS were stable over the two time points, SSQT1: M=2.83, SD=.85, α=.83; SSQT2: M=2.63, SD=.83, α=.83; B=.387, SE=.08, β=.397, p<.001, and TPST1: M=3.7, SD=.72, α=.79; TPST2: M=3.67, SD=.75, α=.77; B=.619, SE=.07, β=.600, p<.001, respectively. Although SSQ and TPS were weakly related to one another at both time points, rT1=.122, p=.086 and rT2=.171, p = .028, only the cross-lagged path between SSQT1 predicting TPST2 was significant, B=.129, SE=.06, β=.147, p=.038. The cross-lagged path between TPST1 predicting SSQT2 was not significant, B=-.098, SE=.094, β=-.086, p=.296. Approximately 40% of the variance in CPS, R2=.4 as opposed to 17% in SSQ, R2=.17, was accounted for by the predictors in the model. Conclusion These results provide support for a directional (vs bidirectional) link between SSQ and TPS, insomuch that, in the context of military training, SSQ influences TPS, as opposed to the other way around. Elucidating the directionality of this relationship is not only important for advancing theory, but more importantly, it helps practitioners develop programs and policies that precisely address the right mechanism at the right time to maximize team effectiveness and wellbeing. Support This work was supported by the Military Operational Medicine Research Program (MOMRP).

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The Role of Environmental Context in Modulating Subjective Sleepiness and Sleep Quality in the Elderly: A Comparison Between Home-Dwelling Subjects and Nursing Home Residents

Home Health Care Management & Practice ◽

10.1177/1084822319883824 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 81-86

Author(s):

Francesca Conte ◽

Serena Malloggi ◽

Benedetta Albinni ◽

Mariangela Cerasuolo ◽

Gianluca Ficca ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nursing Home ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Nursing Home Residents ◽

Environmental Context ◽

Elderly Subjects ◽

Sleep Habits ◽

Subjective Sleep Quality ◽

Subjective Sleep ◽

Healthy Elderly

This study investigated the role of environmental context in modulating subjective sleep quality and sleepiness in healthy elderlies living at home or in a nursing home. Twenty-five home-dwelling subjects and 18 nursing home residents rated their sleepiness hourly from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. for three nonconsecutive days. Sleep quality, lifestyle, and sleep habits were also evaluated. Compared with home-dwelling subjects, nursing home residents showed a more sedentary lifestyle, advanced bedtime and awakening time, and a relatively stable vigilance level during the waking period. No differences emerged for subjective sleep quality and global vigilance levels between the two groups. Life in a nursing home does not affect sleep quality and global vigilance in healthy elderly subjects, but contributes to flatten their vigilance daily fluctuations. Including nursing home residents in daily activities could be useful to improve their conscious feeling of alertness variations.

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Peer Victimization Predicts Sleep Problems in Early Adolescence

The Journal of Early Adolescence ◽

10.1177/0272431617725199 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 67-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kelly M. Tu ◽

Clayton W. Spencer ◽

Mona El-Sheikh ◽

Stephen A. Erath

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Peer Victimization ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Subjective Sleep Quality ◽

Subjective Sleep ◽

Prospective Association ◽

Over Time

This study examined the prospective association between peer victimization and subjective sleep quality among typically developing early adolescents. At Time 1 (T1), participants included 123 youth (50% boys; [Formula: see text] age = 12.03 years; 58.5% European American, 35% African American), along with one parent and teacher. Youth, parents, and teachers reported on youth’s experiences of peer victimization at T1. Youth reported on sleep quality at T1 and T2 (10 months later). Results from regression analyses revealed that youth-reported, but not parent- or teacher-reported, peer victimization predicted poorer sleep quality over time. Findings provide evidence that experiences of peer victimization can have a negative impact on youth’s sleep quality over time.

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