• Josué Pinto, Mafalda van Zeller, Pedro Amorim, Ana Pimentel, Patrícia Dantas, Ermelinda Eusébio, Andreia Neves, Joana Pipa, Elisabete Santa Clara, Teresa Santiago, Paulo Viana, and Marta Drummond.
• Department of Pulmonology, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: josue.mpinto@gmail.com.
• Sleep Med. 2020 Oct 1; 74: 81-85.

BackgroundDue to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease outbreak, social distancing measures were imposed to control the spread of the pandemic. However, isolation may affect negatively the psychological well-being and impair sleep quality. Our aim was to evaluate the sleep quality of respiratory patients during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.MethodsAll patients who underwent a telemedicine appointment from March 30 to April 30 of 2020 were asked to participate in the survey. Sleep difficulties were measured using Jenkins Sleep Scale.ResultsThe study population consisted of 365 patients (mean age 63.9 years, 55.6% male, 50.1% with sleep-disordered breathing [SDB]). During the lockdown, 78.9% of participants were confined at home without working. Most patients (69.6%) reported at least one sleep difficulty and frequent awakenings was the most prevalent problem. Reporting at least one sleep difficulty was associated with home confinement without working, female gender and diagnosed or suspected SDB, after adjustment for cohabitation status and use of anxiolytics. Home confinement without working was associated with difficulties falling asleep and waking up too early in the morning. Older age was a protective factor for difficulties falling asleep, waking up too early and non-restorative sleep. Notably, SDB patients with good compliance to positive airway pressure therapy were less likely to report sleep difficulties.ConclusionsHome confinement without working, female gender and SDB may predict a higher risk of reporting sleep difficulties. Medical support during major disasters should be strengthened and potentially delivered through telemedicine, as this comprehensive approach could reduce psychological distress and improve sleep quality.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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