Dados do Trabalho

Título

Sleep quality of Elderly Brazilians during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introdução

More than two years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic. With this, social isolation was adopted to contain the virus. Consequently, people suffered changes in the family routine and mainly the elderly as for self-protection. It is already known the aging process, by itself, affects sleep characteristics, so it is relevant to understand eventual modifications in the quality of sleep of the elderly during the pandemic period.

Objetivo

To analyze the sleep quality of the elderly along the COVID-19 pandemic.

Métodos

This is part of a populational based longitudinal study, carried out from April 2020 to June 2021. Participants were invited through social networks and through the internet, radio and TV in two periods (april-july 2020 and april-july 2021) to answer an online questionnaire, through the Qualtrics® online survey software platform. Responders with over 65 years old, were selected and responded the questionnaires Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Further they have completed sociodemographic information. The present study was approved and is registered in Plataforma Brasil under the number 30748320.5.0000.5336.

Resultados

The participants were divided into three groups, the first group comprises 198 responders from 2020 (E1), the second group were 51 responders from 2021 (E2) and third group were 38 respondents for both years (2020-2021) (E3). The variables that prevailed in the three groups were: female (E1) 70.5%, (E2) 64.8% and (E3) 63.2%; white ethnicity (E1) 84.5%, (E2) 86.3% and (E3) 86.8%; family income >BR$ 11,261.00 (E1) 54%, (E2) 58.8% and (E3) 60.5%. In 2021 (E2) 88.2% of the elderly claimed that they were not infected by COVID-19, but 90.2% reported that family members/close friends were infected and, in addition, 55.9% had a close family member who died from the disease. Regarding the quality of sleep in the group (E1) 50.8% had worsened sleep; in (E2) 60.8% and in the group (E3) in 2020 (63.9%) and 2021 (57.9%). An increase in the prevalence of sleep disorders was observed in the group (E3), which in 2020 was 15.8% and in 2021 it was 26.4%. In 2021, in E3, excessive daytime sleepiness increased up to 52.6%.

Conclusões

The decrease in sleep quality and the increase in excessive daytime sleepiness in the elderly were possibly linked to the social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Palavras -chave

Sleep; Elderly; COVID-19.