Survey Finds Pandemic-Related Stress and Anxiety Most Cited Reasons for Poor Sleep Quality

For National Sleep Awareness Week (March 13-19) and World Sleep Day (March 19), sleep-related medical device company ResMed released the results of its 2022 Global Sleep Surveys, which identified stress, anxiety, depression, and potential commutes as reasons for poor sleep quality and lack of sleep.

Of the nearly 25,000 participants surveyed across 12 countries, “a majority of respondents reported stress has had an impact on their sleep since the start of the pandemic,” according to the a release announcing the survey findings. Results from Brazil reported a high of 64% of participants whose sleep had been affected by COVID-19; Germany and Japan reported a low of 35% of participants whose sleep had been affected. In the United States, 38% of participants said that depression and anxiety were the main reasons that they do not sleep well at night.

Participants in the survey also said that family pressures, work-related concerns, and financial pressures were reasons that they were not sleeping well.

Participants cited returning to the workplace as a potential factor that could worsen the quality and amount of sleep they get each night. According to the release, many participants said that they had slept better or longer while working from home. They believed that working in the office more often would make it difficult for them to wake up in the morning.

Of the participants from the United States, 45% said that they got more sleep when working from home and 48% of those who said that they worked remotely said that it would be harder for them to wake up once they return to a physical workplace.

Many survey respondents said that they aren’t consulting with a doctor on getting a good night’s sleep. Instead, many participants reported unhealthy habits to help them get to sleep. Of the participants, 23% of Americans and 20% of Germans and British participants said that they binge-watch television shows to help them fall asleep. A total of 29% of American respondents also said that they turn to traditional medications or alternative sleep aids, such as aromatherapy. More than half of Americans say their doctor has never proactively asked them about their sleep quality, and that number is higher in other countries.

A total of 52% of Americans reported that they snored or that they were told that they snored. However, only 33% are concerned about the health implications of snoring. Only 22% of respondents in America say that they have been tested for sleep apnea, a percentage that was even lower in other countries: 17% in France, 15% in Germany, 13% in the United Kingdom, and 12% in Singapore.

“Getting good quality sleep is a struggle for people across the globe for many different reasons,” Carlos M. Nunez, MD, chief medical officer for ResMed, said in the release. “It is clear that the pandemic has caused an increase in poor quality sleep due to stress, depression, and anxiety, but our survey found that in most countries, nearly half of respondents say they’ve never sought professional medical help to improve their sleep or address underlying issues.”

Reference

Resmed’s Global Sleep Surveys reveal what’s keeping us up at night; aim to bring awareness to the state of sleep health for World Sleep Day. News release. ResMed. March 14, 2022. Accessed March 14, 2022. https://newsroom.resmed.com/news-releases/news-details/2022/ResMeds-Global-Sleep-Surveys-Reveal-Whats-Keeping-Us-Up-at-Night-Aim-to-Bring-Awareness-to-the-State-of-Sleep-Health-for-World-Sleep-Day/default.aspx