Among the various post COVID complications that people have been complaining about, sleep disturbances and changes in sleep pattern are common. A recent online survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, has shown that 52% of 32,000 people surveyed said their sleep pattern has changed post COVID.
The survey studied responses of 32,000 citizens from across 322 districts of India, 39% of whom were women. Conducted from April 10 to July 9, the survey found that one in two Indians is getting less than six hours of uninterrupted sleep each night while one in four is sleeping less than four hours.
While only 6% of the respondents said they get 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night, 38% said they get 6-8 hours, 27% said they get four to six hours and 23% upto four hours.
“On an average, one in two Indians is getting less than six hours of uninterrupted sleep each night and one in four is sleeping less than four hours. This question received 20,549 responses,” said Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles.
While 7% of citizens said their uninterrupted sleep duration has reduced and they have developed apnea and sleep gets frequently disrupted, 8% said their sleep requirements have increased and three percent said they have trouble going to sleep.
Furthermore, 10% of citizens said their sleep has become more irregular for reasons other than COVID. “We have found through the survey that post COVID people are struggling with sleep. Reduced duration of uninterrupted sleep, sleep apnea, trouble going to sleep or needing more hours are some common issues reported,” Mr Taparia said.
In Karnataka, of the 3,465 people surveyed, 49% got 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep and 27% 4-6 hours. Over 16% got uninterrupted sleep of just four hours. While 49% of the respondents said their sleep pattern has changed post COVID, the sleep requirement of 8% has increased post COVID, according to the survey.
