Sleep disturbances and anxiety, whether directly caused by COVID-19 or the stress and anxiety caused by the global pandemic, may be ongoing problems for many people post-pandemic and may contribute to the fatigue commonly reported by people with post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS, or “prolonged COVID-19”).
Based on data from the UK’s Coronavirus Symptom Research Biobank collected early in the pandemic, experts from King’s College London and Flinders University in Australia conducted one of the first large-scale longitudinal studies to assess the extent of residual or continuing sleep and associated mental health problems, including in people with PCS.
High levels of sleep deprivation and fatigue established during lockdown persisted after restrictions were lifted, regardless of whether there were reports of SARS-CoV-2 infection or post-COVID-19 syndrome. Our data are consistent with findings from around the world that the pandemic experience itself is associated with sleep disturbances globally. ”
emma duncan co-senior author; Professor of Clinical Endocrinology at King’s College London and co-founder of the COVID-19 Symptom Research Biobank
Professor Sutapa Mukherjee, co-senior author and Professor of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine in the Sleep Health Research Group at Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI), from Flinders University, said: “Pre-pandemic clinical experience showed that once sleep problems occur, they are unlikely to improve without intervention.
“Given the high rates of both sleep disturbances and fatigue in some populations following the COVID-19 shutdown, addressing sleep disturbances may be part of patients’ long-term recovery and health.
“We recommend that people with persistent fatigue post-pandemic, including those with persistent symptoms related to PCS (prolonged coronavirus disease), have their sleep assessed regularly,” Professor Mukherjee said.
The authors previously assessed sleep disturbance and fatigue following the UK lockdown in 2021, and found very high levels of sleep deprivation and fatigue across the community during the pandemic. In the current study, the same individuals were reassessed after lockdown was lifted in 2022, with 2,390 survey responses on sleep, fatigue, depression and anxiety.
The new study, which adjusted for other factors, found that sleep research journal It was found that respondents continued to experience high levels of sleep deprivation and fatigue even after the lockdown was lifted, regardless of whether they had been infected with the coronavirus or not.
Sleep disorders have a variety of health effects, including weakened immunity, increased inflammation, and worsened mood, cognition, and mental health, including depression.
Another co-author and researcher, Barbara Thorson, from Flinders University, added: “Many people assume that sleep will return to normal once major life disruptions are over. However, our study found that sleep disturbances and fatigue often persist even after lockdown restrictions are lifted.”
“Our findings suggest that sleep disturbances and fatigue may persist long after the pandemic’s large-scale disruption has ended, reiterating the need to pay increased attention to sleep health and post-pandemic recovery,” said Ms Thorson, from Flinders Health and Medical Research’s Sleep Health Research Group.
The researchers concluded, “Fatigue is the most common symptom reported by PCS patients. If sleep disturbances contribute to fatigue in PCS patients, using proven and effective treatment approaches may meaningfully contribute to symptom resolution.”
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues, with current infections resulting in serious illness and hospital admissions, with an estimated 1.9 million people in the UK experiencing self-reported symptoms of prolonged coronavirus infection for four weeks or more after a confirmed or suspected infection.
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Reference magazines:
Toson, B., Others. (2026). Persistent sleep disturbances after pandemic lockdown: Longitudinal findings from the UK COVID-19 Symptom Research Biobank. sleep research journal. DOI: 10.1111/jsr.70344. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsr.70344
