April 6, 2023 – Four in 10 individuals with Long COVID had moderate to severe sleep problems, and Black individuals with the condition were rather more more likely to have serious sleep problems, a latest study found.
The study was published this week in Journal of General Internal Medicine. This included 962 adults who were treated on the Cleveland Clinic between February 2021 and April 2022 for Long COVID – which the researchers defined as persistent and debilitating symptoms of the virus that lasted longer than 4 weeks. Among them:
- 67% reported moderate to severe fatigue.
- 22% reported severe fatigue.
- 59% reported normal to mild sleep disturbances.
- 41% reported moderate to severe sleep disturbances.
Black people were a minimum of thrice more more likely to suffer from sleep problems than white people. Previous studies show that individuals with dark skin more likely to be infected with COVID and to suffer severe cases requiring hospitalization in comparison with whites.
Other aspects related to a better likelihood of sleep disturbances in individuals with Long COVID included whether someone had been hospitalized for COVID, had severe anxiety, or had moderate to severe fatigue.
“Our findings not only underscore the importance of identifying sleep disturbances in Long COVID, considering their impact on patients' quality of life, daytime functioning, and medical health status, but they also draw attention to the persistent inequities observed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said researcher Cinthya Pena Orbea, MD, assistant professor of drugs on the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center, in a opinion.
A recent Analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that in January 2023, 28% of people that had ever had COVID also had Long COVID. According to the CDC, essentially the most common Long COVID symptoms are fatigue, fever, respiratory and heart problems, neurological problems, digestive problems, and problems that worsen after physical or mental exertion.