People with insomnia and burnout are twice as infected with COVID-19 – but every extra hour of sleep reduces the risk of infection by 12%, the study finds
- Researchers looked at the results of a survey among 2,884 health workers, 568 of whom reported contracting COVID-19.
- For every extra hour of sleep, the chance of getting infected with coronavirus decreased by 12%
- Healthcare workers who have contacted coronavirus have almost twice reported three or more sleep problems or needed sleeping pills.
- Those who experience daily burnout are more than twice as likely to get sick with COVID-19
People who have insomnia or experience burnout are more likely to develop COVID-19, a new study indicates.
Researchers found that the chance for every extra hour of sleep was reduced by 12 percent.
What’s more, for those who experience daily burnout, they have more than twice the chance of getting sick with the virus.
The team, led by the 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 came in contact with Coronavirus were almost twice as likely to report three or more sleep problems or to use sleeping pills.
Those who experience daily burnout are more than twice as likely to get sick with COVID-19
Previous research has linked that insufficient sleep and burnout are associated with an increased risk of viral and bacterial infections.
However, the team says it was not clear whether these factors were also associated with 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 workers who were repeatedly exposed to coronavirus-infected patients.
The survey, which took place from July 17 to September 25, was taken by health workers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Respondents were asked for details about their lifestyle and health, including how much sleep they received and burnout from work.
Of the 2884 health workers who conducted the survey, 568 of them 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 were not infected.
Health workers who have contacted coronavirus have almost twice reported three or more sleep problems or needed sleeping pills.
For every hour of sleep increase at night, there was a 12 percent lower chance of becoming infected – but a six percent higher chance of every hour of sleep.
The same association was also found with burnout.
About 5.5 percent of the health workers who caught COVID-19 reported daily burnout compared to three percent of the workers without the infection.
Those who reported frequent burnout also said three times that their infection was serious compared to workers who became ill but did not burn out frequently.
In addition, 18.2 percent of workers who did not become ill said they never experienced burnout, compared with 13.7 percent of those who did.
Although the biology behind the reason why insomnia and burnout increase the risk remains unclear, the authors believe that both conditions weaken the immune system, increasing the chances of contracting COVID-19.
“These studies have suggested that burnout can predict diseases directly or indirectly through occupational stress that harms the immune system and alters cortisol levels,” they wrote.
‘We have found that lack of sleep at night, severe sleep problems and a high level of burnout can be risk factors for COVID-19 in the front line. [healthcare workers]. Our results highlight the importance of healthcare staff well-being during the pandemic. ‘
