<Sleeping difficulties for women with young children Research University of Southampton>

 

 

 

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused sleeping difficulties for ladies with young children, key workers, and

other people of BAME heritage, a replacement study has found. The study has revealed that sleep loss

affects more people during the Covid-19 pandemic, reflecting rising stress levels thanks to anxieties

about health, financial consequences, changes in social life and daily routine, all of which can affect

sleep. Sleep deprivation can have knock-on effects for physical and psychological state 

 

The pandemic lockdown led to an increase within the number of individuals suffering sleeping problems

from one in six (15.7%) of the sample to at least one in four (24.7%). The analysis provides evidence

that ladies are more susceptible to sleep deprivation during the lockdown. The proportion of girls losing

stay over worry before the pandemic was 18.9%, rising to 31% during the pandemic. By comparison, the

number of men reporting sleep loss increased from 11.9% to 16.5% during a lockdown. These findings

are in-line with much of the emerging research that means experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic

within the UK are very different for men and ladies. For example, women’s position within the labor

market may increase their exposure to Covid-19, as women represent a big majority of frontline workers

in social care, education, and health care.

 

People from BAME heritage were more likely to experience sleep loss during lockdown than those

identifying as British White, mainly thanks to demographic and socioeconomic differences between the

groups. The proportion of individuals in BAME groups reporting sleep problems was 20.7% before the

pandemic, and 32% during a lockdown. However when the research team compared BAME and White

respondents who were equal in terms of being a key worker, having financial worries or having young

children

 

, this highlights how BAME groups are being disproportionally suffering from the coronavirus pandemic.

These findings meet up with recent research that BAME groups have higher rates of coronavirus

infection, high anxiety related to coronavirus-specific circumstances, are more likely to be key workers,

to have dependent children, and to feel lonely. All of those are likely to extend the danger of sleep loss

 

Keyworkers from the health and social care (HSC) sector or education and childcare (ECC) sector had

the very best increase of sleep loss since pandemic lockdown, from 19% to 36.6% for the health and

social care sector and from 15.8% to 33% for the education and childcare sector. Professor Falkingham

comments: “We are seeing that Covid-19 has a disproportionate impact on the health of people from

different ethnic groups and people employed in certain jobs. The indirect impacts of Covid-19, including

the closure of faculties and businesses, and therefore the move to home working, seem to be worse for

working age people and ladies ..

 

The data analysed during this study is from the primary wave of Understanding Society Covid-19 Study,

conducted in April 2020. The data were then linked to Wave 9 of Understanding Society conducted in

2018/19, providing information about the respondents before the outbreak of the pandemic. The Health

Foundation is an independent charity committed to bringing about better health and health look after

people within the UK. The COVID-19 survey data is out there to researchers via the united kingdom Data

Service.