Nutrition and Sleep amid COVID-19

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Coronaviruses (CoV) and COVID-19 Pandemic".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 February 2021) | Viewed by 5099

Special Issue Editors

Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
Interests: nutritional & sleep epidemiology
Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, Flinders University, Adelaide 5042, Australia
Interests: respiratory and sleep medicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently a pandemic affecting millions of people globally. To date (11 June 2020), 7,451,532 cases and 418,872 deaths have been recorded. Of the recorded cases, half (~50%; 3,733,379) have recovered. However, evidence suggests that there are major health consequences (e.g., organ damage) of COVID-19 after recovery. This indeed has an implication in future disease burden as well as health care service, utilization, and cost.

The other aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic that should receive due attention is its impact on socio-economic status, livelihood, and mental health. These consequences could be related to the direct effect of the virus or measures introduced to limit the spread.

The virus also has a detrimental effect on nutrition and sleep health (the two “pillars” of health), which are highly correlated and modifiable behavioral factors. These behaviors directly and strongly predict physical and mental wellbeing. In addition, evidence suggests that these behaviors are important prognostic factors in patients with viral infection, including COVID-19. As a result, hydration and nutrition are an essential part of COVID-19 treatment. At the community level, job loss related to the virus may contribute to food insecurity, increased consumption of poor-quality food, and unhealthy sleep behavior. These eventually become a public health challenge as a result of associated increased incidence of chronic diseases and mental health problems. Hence, a thorough investigation on the prognostic effect of diet and sleep, and identification of the behavioral changes and associated effects on physical and mental health, may help to guide current and future clinical and public health interventions.

We invite clinicians and researchers to submit relevant scientific work, either original articles or reviews, to this Special Issue of Healthcare “Sleep: Diet and Sleep amid COVID-19”.

Dr. Yohannes Adama Melaku
Prof. Robert Adams
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Diet
  • Sleep
  • Nutrition
  • Nutrients
  • Food
  • Dietary patterns
  • Nutrient patterns
  • Food security
  • COVID-19
  • Pandemic

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

9 pages, 220 KiB  
Article
Insomnia, Perceived Stress, and Family Support among Nursing Staff during the Pandemic Crisis
by Athanasios Tselebis, Dimitra Lekka, Christos Sikaras, Effrosyni Tsomaka, Athanasios Tassopoulos, Ioannis Ilias, Dionisios Bratis and Argyro Pachi
Healthcare 2020, 8(4), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8040434 - 26 Oct 2020
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 4602
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to cause mental health issues, especially for healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate levels of perceived stress, insomnia, and the sense of family support among nurses in pandemic conditions. We administered in a sample [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to cause mental health issues, especially for healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate levels of perceived stress, insomnia, and the sense of family support among nurses in pandemic conditions. We administered in a sample of 150 nurses from different hospital departments during the COVID-19 pandemic the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Family Support Scale (FSS). Individual and demographic data were recorded. In total, 120 women and 30 men completed the study questionnaires. Almost half of the participants (49.7%) reported the presence of insomnia and more than half (50.3%) experienced increased stress levels. Scores on the Athens Insomnia Scale correlated positively with Perceived Stress Scale scores (p < 0.01), and negatively with Family Support Scale scores (p < 0.01). Significantly negative correlations were observed among scores on the Perceived Stress Scale and the Family Support Scale (p < 0.01). The regression models revealed that ‘scores on Perceived Stress Scale’ and ‘years of work experience’ were significant predictors of ‘scores on Athens Insomnia Scale’, each explaining 43.6% and 2.3% of the variance. ‘Scores on Athens Insomnia Scale’ and ‘scores on Family Support Scale’ were significant predictors of ‘scores on Perceived Stress Scale’, explaining 43.7% and 9.2% of the variance. In conclusion, we confirmed that working with COVID-19 patients has a negative impact on the sleep of nurses, possibly mediated by increased levels of stress. Family support, as a protective factor, appears to moderate the deleterious consequences of stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Sleep amid COVID-19)
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