Sleep Quality, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, and Physical Activity Level in Health Professionals with and Without COVID-19: a Cross-Sectional Study

Objective To compare the sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and physical activity level in health professionals infected and not infected with COVID-19. Methods Cross-sectional study based on online forms (Google Forms) filled out by health professionals who cared for COVID- 19 patients in hospitals in the Recife metropolitan area, Brazil, between October 2020 and May 2021. Anthropometric, sociodemographic, and occupational data were collected, along with the assessment of excessive daytime sleepiness ( with Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ ESE]), sleep quality (with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]), and physical activity level (with International Physical Activity Questionnaire [IPAQ] - short version). Results A total of 96 participants were assessed (37 with COVID- 19, 59 without COVID-19). There were no differences between the groups regarding physical activity levels classified as sedentary, moderately active, or highly active (p = 0.850), or the weekly energy expenditure (p = 0.522). Infected professionals had a greater workload than non-infected ones, besides poorer sleep quality (10.46 +/- 3.75 vs. 7.88 +/- 3.75; p = 0.001) and excessive daytime sleepiness (10.19 +/- 3.05 vs. 8.44 +/- 3.85; p = 0.016). Conclusion Based on the results, this study shows that professionals infected with COVID-19 have poorer sleep quality, associated with excessive daytime sleepiness, in contrast with non- infected professionals.