Sleep disturbance increases the risk of severity and acquisition of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Understanding the association between sleep quality and COVID-19 outcomes is crucial for effective preventive strategies and patient management. This systematic review aims to evaluate the impact of sleep quality as a risk factor for acquiring COVID-19 infection and the severity of the disease. METHODS: A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant studies published from the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic which was 31(st) of December 2019 until 30 April 2023. Studies investigating the relationship between sleep quality and COVID-19 infection, or disease severity were included. Random effect meta-analysis was performed with odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) as effect measures. RESULTS: Out of the initial 1,132 articles identified, 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. All studies were observational studies (cohort, case–control, and cross-sectional). The association between sleep quality and COVID-19 infection risk was examined in 6 studies, The results of our meta-analysis showed that participants with poor sleep quality showed a 16% increase regarding the risk of COVID-19 acquisition (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.03, 1.32; I(2) = 65.2%, p = 0.02). Our results showed that participants with poor sleep quality showed a 51% increase in the incidence of primary composite outcome (OR 1.51; 95% CI 1.25, 1.81; I(2) = 57.85%, p < 0.001). The result of our subgroup analysis also showed significantly increased risk of mortality (RR 0.67; 95% CI 0.50, 0.90; I(2) = 31%, p = 0.008), and disease severity (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.19, 1.80; I(2) = 3.21%, p < 0.001) when comparing poor sleep group to those with good sleep quality. CONCLUSION: This study highlights a significant association between poor sleep quality and an increased risk of COVID-19 infection as well as worse disease clinical outcomes. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40001-023-01415-w.