Insomnia Complaints Amid COVID-19 Worldwide: "Get Natural Light and Ensure Sleep Time"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 3rd (local time) that the number of patients suffering from insomnia due to anxiety and worry caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is increasing worldwide, becoming a factor threatening global public health.

According to the report, experts warn that the COVID-19 situation is also affecting sleep quality, leading to a large number of chronic sleep disorder patients, which in turn lowers productivity and makes people vulnerable to various diseases including hypertension and depression.

They explained that stress levels have risen due to the COVID-19 crisis and daily life has become chaotic, resulting in sleep disorders. Anxiety about spare funds and the continuous provision of uncertain and negative news inevitably have an impact. Alon Avidan, a neurologist leading the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), said, "Both patients who had insomnia before and those who had difficulty sleeping due to anxiety have all worsened," diagnosing that "a sleep disorder epidemic is spreading due to COVID-19."

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of sleep was one of the diseases threatening public health. About 10 to 15% of the world's population were already chronic insomnia patients who had symptoms of difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep for at least 3 days a week for more than 3 months. However, experts explained that there is a risk that the number of chronic insomnia patients will increase further due to COVID-19.

According to Express Scripts, a US pharmacy benefit management company, the number of sleep medication prescriptions in the US increased by 15% between mid-February and mid-March. The number of patients complaining of insomnia at UCLA's Sleep Disorders Center also increased by 20 to 30%, and the number of child patients increased as well.

Experts pointed out that the increase in patients with sleep disorders was also influenced by the change in sleep and wake times due to more people staying at home all day because of the expansion of remote work. Irregular lifestyle patterns interfere with deep sleep.

Experts explained that self-treatment is possible by refraining from using electronic devices that emit blue light, which interferes with deep sleep, at least one hour before bedtime, getting natural light before 8 a.m., and securing time solely for sleep at night. They added that prioritizing exercise and time with family, reducing or completely avoiding watching the news also helps with sleep.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.