This is how the corona pandemic affects our sleep

Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

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Do people sleep better or worse in times of Corona? Various studies and surveys have dealt with this.

The corona pandemic penetrates all areas of life and does not stop at the bedroom. As soon as public life was shut down, the silence was immediately noticeable: No more traffic noise on previously busy streets, no planes taking off near the airport.

Does this calm lead to better sleep? Or does the corona crisis cause stress and thus sleep disorders? Initial study results as well as data from energy suppliers on electricity and water consumption indicate that many people have stayed in bed a little longer in the morning since mid-March.

Higher stress, worse sleep

The sleep-wake rhythm between the end of March and the end of April was based more on our internal biological clock than on social requirements such as working hours, researchers at the University of Basel found. 75 percent of the predominantly female respondents reported sleeping up to around 50 minutes longer than before the restrictions.

"But there were also negative changes," says study director Christine Blume. 58 percent said they had a poorer quality of sleep. "Those who feel more stressed sleep worse and shorter."

According to a representative Forsa survey on behalf of Techniker Krankenkasse, one in ten people sleeps worse in the corona pandemic, and even one in four of those who are stressed due to corona. Reports about sleeping in Corona times can also be found on social networks: Under the hashtags # coronatraumes or #coronadreams, users describe their dreams of forgotten protective masks and other nightmares.

These factors rob you of sleep

Hans-Günter Weeß, board member of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (DGSM) fears that the corona crisis will result in even more patients with sleep disorders. According to the health report 2019 of the Barmer health insurance company, their number had increased significantly in recent years.

Unemployment and a low income are risk factors, says the psychotherapist and author Weeß. "If you don't succeed in stopping the brooding and relieving yourself of everyday worries, then the sleep disorder is inevitable."

Why sleep is important

With serious consequences: A lack of sleep can increase the risk of accidents and, over the years, result in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases as well as psychological ailments. An increased risk of dementia is even suspected.

Sleep researcher Weeß hopes that the importance of sleep in the world of work as well as in schools and universities will become more important, because: "Sleep is the best medicine, especially in times of the Corona," he says. After all, "the immune system is also strengthened during sleep."

Do you want to improve your sleep? With these tips you can finally get a good night's sleep. (caf / dpa)

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