Sleeping Necessity For Medics During COVID-19

The influence of stress encountered by healthcare specialists during the COVID-19 pandemic is much stronger than earlier thought. Research published in April in Frontiers in Psychiatry highlights the importance of developing a process of adjusting to address insomnia encountered by medical staff during periods of vital psychological distress, such as during the widespread COVID-19 pandemic.

Chenxi Zhang, doctorate student and study assistant affiliated with the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University Changsha, China, and colleagues from Nanfang Hospital at the Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, studied the rate of insomnia and other mental factors listed among hospital medics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Study Team Investigation

The study team identified the front-line and other medical staff. It administered a self-designed survey to obtain opinions of insomnia, anxiety, depression, other stress-related symptoms, and demographic information from the subjects. The team investigated the connections between insomnia and sociodemographic factors using logistic regression analysis. 

The researchers stated that 36% (n = 564) of 1,563 subjects involved in the study reported signs of insomnia, achieving a total score of ≥8 on the Insomnia Severity Index. They further state that insomnia symptoms were connected with being a doctor (odds ratio [OR] 0.44, P = .007, 95% CI, 0.2-0.8), working in an insulation unit (OR 1.71, P = .038, 95% CI, 1.0-2.8), reporting fear of becoming infected (OR 2.30, P <.001, 95% CI, 1.6-3.4), and should expressed “very strong possibility regarding effective infection control” (OR 3.30, P = .013, 95% CI, 1.3-8.5).

Insomnia VS Medics During COVID-19

Besides, insomnia signs were compared with other parts, such knowledge level of high school or below and noted lack of psychological support from the news or social media related to COVID-19 (OR, 2.69, P = .042, 95% CI, 1.0-7.0 and OR, 2.10, P = .001, 95% CI, 1.3-3.3, respectively).

“Our decisions can help provide precise attacks of insomnia for medical staff, particularly for those with different socio-psychological risk circumstances,” the authors wrote, joining, “Understanding the problems found in the insomnia group can help clinic administrations with effective mental health knowledge and training among pharmaceutical staff.”

The authors concluded, “Our study found that more than one-third of the medical staff encountered insomnia signs during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The related factors included education level, an isolation condition, mental worries about the COVID-19 outbreak, and being a doctor. Interventions for insomnia among medical staff are required, regarding the different socio-psychological administrators at play in this situation.”

Unconventional Socio-Psychological Factors

Our research has determined that more than one-third of the medical staff suffered from insomnia signs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The related factors introduced education level, isolation conditions, worries about the COVID-19 outbreak, and invasion. Interventions for insomnia are needed to target unconventional socio-psychological factors.

The dataset assembled for this study is available upon the understandable request to the corresponding authors. The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University. All materials provided knowledgeable consent to participate in the research. To protect the respondents’ privacy, the survey was served anonymously.