In the current global home confinement situation due to the COVID-19 outbreak, most individuals are exposed to an unprecedented stressful situation of unknown duration. This may not only increase daytime stress, anxiety and depression levels, but also disrupt sleep. Importantly, because of the fundamental role that sleep plays in emotion regulation, sleep disturbance can have direct consequences upon next day emotional functioning. In this paper, we summarize what is known about the stress-sleep link and confinement as well as effective insomnia treatment. We discuss those effects of the current home confinement situation that can disrupt sleep but also those that could benefit sleep quality. We suggest adaptions of cognitive behavioural therapy elements that are feasible to implement for those facing changed work schedules and requirements, those with health anxiety and those handling childcare and home-schooling, whilst also recognizing the general limitations imposed on physical exercise and social interaction. Managing sleep problems as best as possible during home confinement can limit stress and possibly prevent disruptions of social relationships.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jsr.13052

Dealing with sleep problems during home confinement due to the COVID-19 outbreak: Practical recommendations from a task force of the European CBT-I Academy.

Sleep spindles are burstlike signals in the electroencephalogram (EEG) of the sleeping mammalian brain and electrical surface correlates of neuronal oscillations in thalamus. As one of the most inh...

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10.1152/physrev.00042.2018

Sleep Spindles: Mechanisms and Functions.

Mechanisms underlying the association between insomnia, anxiety, and depression in adolescence: Implications for behavioral sleep interventions.

Symptoms of psychological distress and disorder have been widely reported in people under quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic;in addition to severe disruption of peoples’ daily activity and sleep patterns This study investigates the association between physical-activity levels and sleep patterns in quarantined individuals An international Google online survey was launched in April 6th, 2020 for 12-weeks Forty-one research organizations from Europe, North-Africa, Western-Asia, and the Americas promoted the survey through their networks to the general society, which was made available in 14 languages The survey was presented in a differential format with questions related to responses “before” and “during” the confinement period Participants responded to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire and the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire 5056 replies (59 4% female), from Europe (46 4%), Western-Asia (25 4%), America (14 8%) and North-Africa (13 3%) were analysed The COVID-19 home confinement led to impaired sleep quality, as evidenced by the increase in the global PSQI score (4 37 ± 2 71 before home confinement vs 5 32 ± 3 23 during home confinement) (p <0 001) The frequency of individuals experiencing a good sleep decreased from 61% (n = 3063) before home confinement to 48% (n = 2405) during home confinement with highly active individuals experienced better sleep quality (p <0 001) in both conditions Time spent engaged in all physical-activity and the metabolic equivalent of task in each physical-activity category (i e , vigorous, moderate, walking) decreased significantly during COVID-19 home confinement (p <0 001) The number of hours of daily-sitting increased by ~2 hours/days during home confinement (p <0 001) COVID-19 home confinement resulted in significantly negative alterations in sleep patterns and physical-activity levels To maintain health during home confinement, physical-activity promotion and sleep hygiene education and support are strongly warranted © 2021 Institute of Sport All rights reserved

/pdf/globally-altered-sleep-patterns-and-physical-activity-levels-4p4rk5o0h6.pdf

Globally altered sleep patterns and physical activity levels by confinement in 5056 individuals: ECLB COVID-19 international online survey

Tapping the Brakes: Cellular and Synaptic Mechanisms that Regulate Thalamic Oscillations

Neuroimaging findings in primary insomnia.

How critical is brain criticality?

Background and Aim: Predisposing factors place certain individuals at higher risk for insomnia, especially in the presence of precipitating conditions such as stressful life events. Sleep spindles have been shown to play an important role in the preservation of sleep continuity. Lower spindle density might thus constitute an objective predisposing factor for sleep reactivity to stress. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the relationship between baseline sleep spindle density and the prospective change in insomnia symptoms in response to a standardized academic stressor. Methods: 12 healthy students had a polysomnography (PSG) recording during a period of lower stress at the beginning of the academic semester, along with an assessment of insomnia complaints using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). They completed a second ISI assessment at the end of the semester, a period coinciding with the week prior to final examinations and thus higher stress. Spindle density, amplitude, duration and frequency, as well as sigma power were computed from C4-O2 electroencephalography (EEG) derivation during stages N2-N3 of non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, across the whole night and for each NREM sleep period. To test for the relationship between spindle density and changes in insomnia symptoms in response to academic stress, spindle measurements at baseline were correlated with changes in ISI across the academic semester. Results: Spindle density (as well as spindle amplitude and sigma power), particularly during the first NREM sleep period, negatively correlated with changes in ISI (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Lower spindle activity, especially at the beginning of the night, prospectively predicted larger increases in insomnia symptoms in response to stress. This result indicates that individual differences in sleep spindle activity contribute to the differential vulnerability to sleep disturbances in the face of precipitating factors.

/pdf/sleep-spindles-predict-stress-related-increases-in-sleep-458c26o4pb.pdf

Jordan O’Byrne

Papers

Neuroimaging findings in primary insomnia.

How critical is brain criticality?

Sleep spindles predict stress-related increases in sleep disturbances.

High-frequency heart rate variability during worry predicts stress-related increases in sleep disturbances

Sleep spindles may predict response to cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia.