| Cohort Name |
SleepQuest: Researching sleep to improve brain health |
| Cohort Acronym |
SleepQuest |
| DOI |
Coulthard, E. (2017). SleepQuest [Data set]. Dementias Platform UK. https://doi.org/10.48532/043000 |
| Study Overview |
Behavioural responses to COVID-19 lockdown will define the long-term impact of psychological stressors on sleep and brain health. The Sleep Quest study looked at the factors that affect and protect against sleep disturbances. We used the nationally enforced lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic to understand how mental health, caring responsibilities, attitudes and beliefs about sleep, time of day of daylight exposure and outside exercise, interact with chronotype and sleep quality. Of the 3,474 people from the UK (median age 62, range 18-91) who completed our online study between 29th April and 13th May, 2,780 completed the follow-up during the second UK lockdown between the 5th November and 2nd December 2020. Participants completed a set of validated questionnaires probing sleep quality, depression, anxiety and attitudes to sleep alongside bespoke questions on the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on sleep, time spent outside and exercising and self-help sleep measures. Data from the first lockdown showed that significantly more people (n=1252) reported worsened than improved sleep (n=562) during lockdown (p<0.0001). Factors significantly associated with worsened sleep included low mood (p<0.001), anxiety (p<0.001) and suspected, proven or at risk of COVID-19 symptoms (all p<0.03). Sleep improvement was related to the increased length of time spent outside (p<0.01). Better sleep quality was associated with going outside and exercising earlier, rather than later, in the day. The analysis of data from the second lockdown is ongoing. |
| #Subjects at Baseline |
2781 |
| Institution Name |
University of Bristol |
| Department Name |
Insititute of Clinical Neurosciences |
| City |
Bristol |
| Study/Database Website |
https://www.sleepquest.co.uk |
| Principal Investigator (PI) |
Dr Elizabeth Coulthard |
| Key Study References |
1. Gross, R.T. and T. Borkovec, Effects of a cognitive intrusion manipulation on the sleep-onset latency of good sleepers. Behavior Therapy, 1982. 13(1): p. 112-116.
2. Butcher, A., Covid–19: Why sleep could be a lifesaver, in The Telegraph. 2020.
3. Besedovsky, L., T. Lange, and M. Haack, The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease. Physiol Rev, 2019. 99(3): p. 1325-1380.
4. Spira, A.P. and R.F. Gottesman, Sleep disturbance: an emerging opportunity for Alzheimer's disease prevention? Int Psychogeriatr, 2017. 29(4): p. 529-531.
5. St-Onge, M.-P. and F.M. Zuraikat, Reciprocal roles of sleep and diet in cardiovascular health: a review of recent evidence and a potential mechanism. Current atherosclerosis reports, 2019. 21(3): p. 11.
6. Reid, K.J., et al., Sleep: A Marker of Physical and Mental Health in the Elderly. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2006. 14: p. 860-866.
7. Smith, M.T., M.I. Huang, and R. Manber, Cognitive behavior therapy for chronic insomnia occurring within the context of medical and psychiatric disorders. Clin Psychol Rev, 2005. 25(5): p. 559-92.
8. Harvey, A.G., A cognitive model of insomnia. Behav Res Ther, 2002. 40: p. 869-893. |
| Population Based Study? |
Yes |
| Family Based Study? |
No |
| Clinical based sample? |
No |
| Is there follow-up data available? |
Yes |
| Were participants included prior to development of dementia (may refer to controls only)? |
Yes |
| Were participants included prior to development of MCI (may refer to controls only)? |
Yes |
| How is data collected? |
Online questionnaire |
| Who carries out data collection? |
Via website |
| Does this take place in participants' homes or at a central location? |
Participants personal electronic devices (PC, smartphones etc.) connected to the internet. |
| Do participants take part individually or are families/partners involved? |
Both |
| Dementia cases ascertained as part of study: |
58 |
| Diagnosis based on review of existing clinical data |
Self-report |
| Was diagnosis/primary outcomes made blind to exposure variables? |
No |
| How many times followed up? |
1 |
| # Subjects at Follow-up |
2781 |
| Study start date |
29/04/2020 00:00:00 |
| Study end date |
Onging |
| Is study ongoing? |
Yes |
| Is study still recruiting? |
Not currently. |
| Inclusion criteria |
All people over the age of 18yrs resident in the UK were able to take part in the study. |
| Exclusion criteria |
None. But significant medical comorbidities (including narcolepsy, but not necessarily other sleep disorders such as mild insomnia or restless leg syndrome), which could skew/confound data (e.g. severe osteoarthritis) will be excluded from the main analysis |