Association of mid sleep time and social jetlag with psychosocial behaviour of Indian population during COVID-19 lockdown

Background: India, being the third worst affected country from COVID-19 pandemic at the time of study, faced complete lockdown to minimize community transmission that confined people to social isolation for extended durations. Design and Methods: Therefore, we conducted an online questionnaire-based survey for the Indian population after 37 days of complete lockdown to assess the integrative effects of such home restriction and social isolation on mid-sleep time, social jetlag, and their associated psychosocial behavior. From the reports of sleep onset and waking-up times before and during lockdown as obtained from a total of 1511 respondents of ≥18 years, midsleep time (MST) and social jetlag (SJL) were calculated. Participants also rated their psychosocial behavior related variables on a Likert scale. Results: Significantly delayed MST was noted during the lockdown. The majority showed reduced social jetlag; however, younger people and female subjects exhibited more SJL with delay in MST. Also, delayed MST and elevated SJL problems were more clearly demonstrated in people exhibiting more disturbances in sleep quality and daily routine, lower general mood status, irregular feeding habits (snacking frequency), worsened personal relationship, quality of life, and increased daydreaming events. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the importance of maintaining a regular daily routine with respect to sleep-wake patterns and eating habits to minimize the impact of such a crisis situation on sleep behavior, social jetlag, and associated psychosocial wellbeing.