Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Aug;29(4):e13052.
doi: 10.1111/jsr.13052. Epub 2020 May 4.

Dealing with sleep problems during home confinement due to the COVID-19 outbreak: Practical recommendations from a task force of the European CBT-I Academy

Ellemarije Altena  1 , Chiara Baglioni  2   3 , Colin A Espie  4 , Jason Ellis  5 , Dimitri Gavriloff  4 , Brigitte Holzinger  6 , Angelika Schlarb  7 , Lukas Frase  2 , Susanna Jernelöv  8   9   10 , Dieter Riemann  2
Affiliations
Review

Dealing with sleep problems during home confinement due to the COVID-19 outbreak: Practical recommendations from a task force of the European CBT-I Academy

Ellemarije Altena et al. J Sleep Res. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

In the current global home confinement situation due to the COVID-19 outbreak, most individuals are exposed to an unprecedented stressful situation of unknown duration. This may not only increase daytime stress, anxiety and depression levels, but also disrupt sleep. Importantly, because of the fundamental role that sleep plays in emotion regulation, sleep disturbance can have direct consequences upon next day emotional functioning. In this paper, we summarize what is known about the stress-sleep link and confinement as well as effective insomnia treatment. We discuss those effects of the current home confinement situation that can disrupt sleep but also those that could benefit sleep quality. We suggest adaptions of cognitive behavioural therapy elements that are feasible to implement for those facing changed work schedules and requirements, those with health anxiety and those handling childcare and home-schooling, whilst also recognizing the general limitations imposed on physical exercise and social interaction. Managing sleep problems as best as possible during home confinement can limit stress and possibly prevent disruptions of social relationships.

Keywords: COVID-19; home confinement; sleep problems; stress.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

REFERENCES

    1. Akerstedt, T., Kecklund, G., & Axelsson, J. (2007). Impaired sleep after bedtime stress and worries. Biological Psychology, 76, 170-173.
    1. Akerstedt, T., Knutsson, A., Westerholm, P., Theorell, T., Alfredsson, L., & Kecklund, G. (2002). Sleep disturbances, work stress and work hours: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 741-748.
    1. Altena, E., Micoulaud-Franchi, J. A., Geoffroy, P. A., Sanz-Arigita, E., Bioulac, S., & Philip, P. (2016). The bidirectional relation between emotional reactivity and sleep: From disruption to recovery. Behavioral Neuroscience, 130, 336-350.
    1. Baglioni, C., Altena, E., Bjorvatn, B., Blom, K., Bothelius, K., Devoto, A., … Riemann, D. (2020). The European Academy for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia: An initiative of the European Insomnia Network to promote implementation and dissemination of treatment. Journal of Sleep Research, 29, e12967.
    1. Basner, M., Fomberstein, K. M., Razavi, F. M., Banks, S., William, J. H., Rosa, R. R., & Dinges, D. F. (2007). American time use survey: Sleep time and its relationship to waking activities. Sleep, 30, 1085-1095.

MeSH terms