Covid-19 leads to sharp increase in sleep disruption

The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown interrupted not only the lives but the sleeping habits of millions of people across the globe.

A UK study by King’s College London and Ipsos MORI found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of people said their sleep has been worse since the lockdown was announced on March 23.

“Adequate and good-quality sleep is important to maintain our physical and mental resilience, and disturbed sleep is often caused by stress,” explains Dr Ivana Rosenzweig, head of the Sleep and Brain Plasticity Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London.

“We also know that poor sleep can play a role in increasing our levels of stress, which can create a cycle that’s difficult to break,” she continues. “This is reflected by the findings that this effect was greater for those most vulnerable and those who were more concerned about the pandemic.”

This is a pivotal moment for the sleep economy, which includes supplements, eye masks, sleep mists, aromatherapy, subscription plans, home-use sleep trackers and in-spa sleep analysis. According to The Global Wellness Institute’s The Future of Wellness 2020 report, the sleep economy is expected to reach $585 billion [£451 billion/€498 billion] by 2024.

Resorts worldwide have introduced specialist sleep therapies and retreats, including Lefay Sleep at Lefay Resort and Spa Lago Di Garda, and Sleep Diagnosis at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Switzerland.