The Influence of Changes in Work Stressors and Coping Resources on Sleep Disturbances: Evidence from the OHSPIW Cohort Study

Impacts of mental health in the sleep pattern of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

BACKGROUND

After >2 years of the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is well established how sleep symptoms are rising, especially among healthcare workers (HCW). The aim of this study is to evaluate what features are associated with sleep disturbances in the HCW population.

METHODS

Cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of social and clinical variables associated with sleep problems and insomnia incidence in HCW in a large, national-level cohort. The measurement of sleep problems was assessed by self-report using Jenkins Sleep Scale (JSS). A multivariate analysis was used in the cross-sectional design and generalized linear models were used in the longitudinal design.

RESULTS

10,467 HCW were analyzed in the cross-sectional analysis, 3313 participants were analyzed in the three timepoints of the study. Sex, previously diagnosed mental illness and frontline work with COVID-19 were associated with higher scores in JSS in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, only previous diagnosis of mental illness was related with sleep difficulties, especially previously diagnosed insomnia. The longitudinal analysis concluded that previous diagnosis of mental illnesses was associated with higher levels of insomnia development (OR = 11.62). The self-reported disorders found to be major risk factors were addiction (OR = 7.69), generalized anxiety disorder (OR = 3.67), social anxiety (OR = 2.21) and bipolar disorder (OR = 2.21).

LIMITATIONS

Attrition bias.

CONCLUSIONS

Previous diagnosis of mental illness was strongly related to insomnia development in HCW during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategies that focus on this population are advised.

Maternal sleep deprivation induces gut microbial dysbiosis and neuroinflammation in offspring rats

Maternal sleep deprivation (MSD) is a global public health problem that affects the physical and mental development of pregnant women and their newborns. The latest research suggests that sleep deprivation (SD) disrupts the gut microbiota, leading to neuroinflammation and psychological disturbances. However, it is unclear whether MSD affects the establishment of gut microbiota and neuroinflammation in the newborns. In the present study, MSD was performed on pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats in the third trimester of pregnancy (gestational days 15-21), after which intestinal contents and brain tissues were collected from offspring at different postnatal days (P1, P7, P14, and P56). Based on microbial profiling, microbial diversity and richness increased in pregnant rats subjected to MSD, as reflected by the significant increase in the phylum Firmicutes. In addition, microbial dysbiosis marked by abundant Firmicutes bacteria was observed in the MSD offspring. Furthermore, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were significantly higher in the MSD offspring at adulthood (P56) than in the control group. Through Spearman correlation analysis, IL-1β and TNF-α were also shown to be positively correlated with Ruminococcus_1 and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005 at P56, which may determine the microbiota-host interactions in MSD-related neuroinflammation. Collectively, these results indicate that MSD changes maternal gut microbiota and affects the establishment of neonatal gut microbiota, leading to neuroinflammation in MSD offspring. Therefore, understanding the role of gut microbiota during physiological development may provide potential interventions for cognitive dysfunction in MSD-impacted offspring.