Prevalence of Insomnia in Adults Received at Medical Wards of Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro, during the Covid-19 Pandemi

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of insomnia in adults received at medical wards of Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro, during the Covid-19 pandemic. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted from February to July 2020, on 200 patients belonging to various educational and socio-economic backgrounds received at Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro. The sampling technique was nonprobability, consecutive. The inclusion criteria were males and females above the age of 18 years while the exclusion criteria were individuals with sleep-disordered breathing, prior history of sleep disturbance, and psychiatric illness. This study was funded by the authors. A questionnaire was designed to record the data, including the demographics, educational and job status, and score on Athens Insomnia Scale. The collected data was analyzed on SPSS 20. RESULTS: The study included 108 males (54%) and 92 females (46%) over the age of 18 years. Seventysix individuals (38%) said their sleep quality has worsened during the pandemic, including difficulty initiating sleep in 29, difficulty staying asleep in 22, and 25 having vivid dreams. Out of these, 68% were females and 32% were males, 124 respondents (62%) did not face the above-mentioned problems but 74 (37%) did confirm going to bed later at night and sleeping for a longer duration, while 50 (25%) did not notice any change in their sleeping pattern. CONCLUSION: The Covid-19 pandemic has upturned lives in several ways, including the disruption of sleeping patterns and increased prevalence of insomnia in patients received at medical wards of Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro.