Association between physical activity and sleep quality in Algerian adults during COVID-19 lockdown

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. There is no doubt that the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and its related containment measures such as lockdown and social distancing, is affecting physical activity and sleep quality  of the general population worldwide. Algeria, one of the most affected countries in Africa, entered the lockdown on March 9, 2020. Numerous studies have explored the interaction between physical activity and sleep quality showing the effect of physical activity levels on sleep, yet previous researches have not investigated the relationship between physical activity and sleep quality during lockdown. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between physical activity and sleep quality in quarantined individuals. Material and Methods.  A national Google online survey was conducted between 16th April and 25th May 2020. 1002 Participants responded to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire and the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Of the 1002 participants who completed the survey, 358 were students. The final data were collected from the respondents. Results. The COVID-19 home confinement led to a decrease in physical activity levels. However, the majority of the study population had good sleep quality (61.9%), while only (38.1%) had poor sleep quality. In addition, women are less physically active than men (p < 0.01). Moreover, there was a significant difference in sleep quality between sufficient and insufficient physical activity groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions. Our results show that Algerian adults have low levels of physical activity, good sleep quality, and poor sleep quality is associated with insufficient physical activity in adults during lockdown.