University of Bristol

Academic Institute

Rebecca RichmondMiss Bryony Hayes

B3728

Stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic have had a major impact on people's usual routines, including their sleeping patterns. Recent studies have demonstrated that relaxed work schedules and more time spent at home have meant that the timing of sleep has become more regular, with less 'social jetlag' (the discrepancy in sleep timing between working and non-working days) (1). Nonetheless, there are also been reports in a decline in sleep quality based on self-reported data (2). The factors which influence individual's susceptibility to altered sleep patterns during the pandemic have not been fully investigated. Within the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), parents and young people (YP) were asked to report whether their amount of sleep had decreased, stayed the same, or increased during lockdown. They were also asked to record any difficulty sleeping.

Identifying lifestyle or genetic predictors of changes in sleep during lockdown, could be useful for identifying or risk-stratifying those individuals most susceptible to sleep disruption.

12/03/2021