People with insomnia and burnout are TWICE more likely to be infected with COVID-19

People who have insomnia or are suffering from exhaustion are more likely to contract COVID-19, a new study suggests.

The researchers found that for every extra hour of sleep, the chances of becoming infected with the coronavirus decreased by 12%.

Furthermore, for those who suffer from exhaustion on a daily basis, they were twice as likely to become ill with the virus

The team, led by the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, believes that these conditions weaken the immune system, which increases susceptibility to diseases like COVID-19.

Previous research has indicated that insufficient sleep and professional burnout are linked to an increased risk of viral and bacterial infections.

However, the team says it is not clear whether these factors are also associated with an increased risk of COVID-19.

For the new study, published in the journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, the researchers analyzed the results of a survey of health professionals who were repeatedly exposed to patients infected with coronavirus.

The survey, which took place from July 17 to September 25, was carried out by health professionals in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States

Respondents were asked about details about their lifestyle and health, including how much sleep they slept on and exhaustion of work.

Of the 2,884 health professionals who participated in the survey, 568 of them reported having contracted COVID-19 in the past.

The researchers found that about 24 percent – one in four – of those with COVID-19 said they had trouble sleeping at night, compared with 21 percent – or one in five – of those who were not infected.

Health care workers who came into contact with the coronavirus were almost twice as likely to report three or more sleep problems or the need to use sleeping pills.

For every one hour increase in sleep at night, there was 12% less chance of becoming infected – but 6% more chance for each hour of daytime napping.

The same association was also found with burnout.

Approximately 5.5 percent of health workers who took COVID-19 reported daily exhaustion, compared with 3 percent of workers without the infection.

Those who reported frequent burnout were also three times more likely to say that their infection was severe compared to workers who fell ill, but did not suffer frequent burnout.

In addition, 18.2 percent of workers who did not fall ill said they had never experienced burnout, compared with 13.7 percent of those who did.

Although the biology behind the cause of insomnia and burnout increase the risk is still unclear, the authors believe that both conditions weaken the immune system, which increases the chances of contracting COVID-19

“These studies have suggested that burnout can directly or indirectly predict disease due to occupational stress that damages the immune system and alters cortisol levels,” they wrote.

‘We found that lack of sleep at night, serious sleep problems and high level of exhaustion can be risk factors for COVID-19 on the front lines [healthcare workers]. Our results highlight the importance of health professionals’ well-being during the pandemic. ‘