COVID & Sleep

The risk of developing long COVID is three times higher in individuals with pre-existing conditions who sleep less than 6 hours a night. Although COVID is less harmful these days, it remains endemic. Therefore, ensuring more than 6 hours a night of sleep consistently will likely prevent the body’s inflammatory response from spiraling into an array of long-term health issues.

Your Health

Long COVID: A Host of Sleep issues

The most prevalent clinical symptoms of long COVID are related to mood issues, fatigue and sleep disorders. Over a third of individuals with long COVID may experience severe sleep disturbances/disorders ranging from insomnia to hypersomnia with or without long sleep, rapid eye movement sleep disorder, narcolepsy, sleep apnea as well as other circadian rhythms disorders. They report: 

  • tiredness or general fatigue
  • anxiety
  • cognitive fatigue
  • poor sleep quality
  • excessive daytime sleepiness
  • decreased sleep time
  • decreased sleep efficiency

Individuals with long COVID may also experience shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, thinking or concentrating. It affects their overall daytime functioning and is often associated with mood disturbances, depression, and neurocognitive and behavioral issues, especially in adolescents.

Recent research shows that children and adolescents with sleep disturbances are more likely to report abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, anxiety, depression, ADHD, dizziness, brain fog, fatigue and appetite loss.

Early intervention in managing insomnia symptoms through psychological and behavioral therapies is key in preventing depression, improving long-term sleep and diminishing stress or anxiety. They include stimulus control therapy, sleep restriction therapy, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) based on breathing exercises, guided imagery, meditation, and muscle relaxation. Treatments for other sleep disorders/disturbances include stimulants, modafinil, sodium oxybate, CPAP and as always, ensuring adequate sleep hygiene, is essential.