People with insomnia and burnout are TWICE as likely to be infected with COVID-19 – but every extra hour of sleep lowers the risk of infection by 12%, research shows.
- Researchers looked at the results of a survey of 2,884 health professionals, 568 of whom reported contracting COVID-19
- For every extra hour of sleep, the chance of becoming infected with the corona virus decreased by 12%
- Health workers who had been in contact with the coronavirus were almost twice as likely to report three or more sleeping problems or to use sleeping pills
- Those who burned out daily were more than twice as likely to get sick with COVID-19
People with insomnia or burnout are more likely to contract COVID-19, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that for every extra hour of sleep, the chances of becoming infected with the coronavirus decreased by 12 percent.
What’s more, for those who experience burnout on a daily basis, they were more than twice as likely to get sick from the virus
The team, led by Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore, Maryland, believes these conditions weaken the immune system, increasing susceptibility to diseases such as COVID-19.
A new study found that health workers who had been in contact with the coronavirus were almost twice as likely to report three or more sleep problems or use sleeping pills
Those who burned out daily were more than twice as likely to get sick with COVID-19
Previous research has shown that insufficient sleep and burnout are linked to an increased risk of both viral and bacterial infections.
However, the team says it was not clear whether these factors were also linked to an increased risk of COVID-19.
For the new study, published in the journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, researchers looked at the results of a survey of health professionals who were repeatedly exposed to patients infected with coronavirus.
The survey, which ran from July 17 to September 25, was conducted by health professionals in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US.
Respondents were asked for details about their lifestyle and health, including how much sleep they were getting and burnout from work.
Of the 2,884 health professionals who participated in the survey, 568 reported having contracted COVID-19 in the past.
Researchers found that about 24 percent – one in four – of those with COVID-19 said they had trouble sleeping at night, compared with 21 percent – or one in five – of those who weren’t infected.
Health workers who had been in contact with the coronavirus were almost twice as likely to report three or more sleep problems or to use sleeping pills.
For every hour of sleep increased at night, there was 12 percent less chance of getting infected, but six percent more for every hour of sleep during the day.
The same association was also found with burnout.
About 5.5 percent of health workers who contracted COVID-19 reported a daily burnout, compared with three percent of workers without the infection.
Those who reported frequent burnout were also three times more likely to say their infection was severe compared to workers who fell ill but burned out infrequently.
Additionally, 18.2 percent of workers who did not get sick said they never experienced burnout, compared with 13.7 percent of those who did.
While the biology behind why insomnia and burnout increase the risk remains unclear, the authors believe that both conditions weaken the immune system, increasing the risk of COVID-19.
“These studies have suggested that burnout can directly or indirectly predict illness through occupational stress affecting the immune system and altering cortisol levels,” they wrote.
We found that sleep deprivation at night, severe sleep problems and a high level of burnout can be frontline risk factors for COVID-19 [healthcare workers]Our results underscore the importance of the wellbeing of healthcare professionals during the pandemic. ‘
