Investigation of the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Process on Sleep Habits of Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Backgraund/Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic process on sleep habits and problems in children. Methods: The study included mothers of children and adolescents aged 0-18 who applied to the Afyon Health Sciences University Child Health and Diseases Clinic for outpatient healthcare services between May 15 and June 15, 2020. A structured questionnaire was administered to mothers who volunteered to participate in the study to evaluate their children’s sleep habits before and after the pandemic and their opinions on the reasons for the change in their children’s sleep habits. Results: A total of 457 children, 237 girls (51.9%) and 220 boys (48.1%) participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 10.03±4.4 years (Min:1-Max:18). The average sleep time before the pandemic was 9.5 hours, and the average sleep time was 10 hours during the pandemic. A delay of 1 hour and 42 minutes was found between bedtime before the pandemic and bedtime during the pandemic (<0.001). A delay of 2 hours and 20 minutes was detected between the morning wake-up time before the pandemic and the morning wake-up time during the pandemic (<0.001). Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the presence of technological devices in the sleeping room increased significantly during the pandemic process, the problems of resisting lying down, having difficulty in lying down alone, falling asleep and teeth grinding problems were significantly increased, and the presence of pre-sleep preparation was significantly reduced (<0.001). Conclusions: This study showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the sleep habits of children and adolescents changed significantly compared to the pre-pandemic period, and some sleep problems increased. It is important for clinicians to guide parents and children on healthy sleep habits when living conditions are changing and challenging, such as during a pandemic. © 2025, Selcuk University. All rights reserved.