Physical Activity as a Predictor of the Level of Stress and Quality of Sleep during COVID-19 Lockdown

Anna Lipert, Remigiusz Kozłowski, Dariusz Timler, Michał Marczak, Kamila Musiał, Paweł Rasmus, Karolina Kamecka and Anna Jegier
Additional contact information
Anna Lipert: Department of Sports Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland
Remigiusz Kozłowski: Center of Security Technologies in Logistics, Faculty of Management, University of Lodz, 90-237 Lodz, Poland
Dariusz Timler: Department of Emergency Medicine and Disaster Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland
Michał Marczak: Department of Management and Logistics in Healthcare, Medical University of Lodz, 90-131 Lodz, Poland
Kamila Musiał: Department of Sports Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland
Paweł Rasmus: Department of Medical Psychology, Medical University of Lodz, 90-131 Lodz, Poland
Karolina Kamecka: Department of Management and Logistics in Healthcare, Medical University of Lodz, 90-131 Lodz, Poland
Anna Jegier: Department of Sports Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: Background: The coronavirus pandemic and the government restrictions significantly disturbed the daily functioning of people, thereby influencing healthy behaviors, such as physical activity—the core indicator of well-being. This study evaluates the associations between physical activity (PA), the level of stress and quality of sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Methods: An online survey was distributed during the governmental lockdown in April 2020 and included measures for assessing physical activity, stress and sleep. The surveyed participants included all adults aged 18 years and over. The final data were collected from the 1959 respondents using: International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Findings: Almost half of the respondents indicated a low level of PA, performing only 60 min of PA daily. Most of the participants reported a moderate or high level of stress (57% and 29%, respectively) and 64% of them reported poor quality of sleep. People with low levels of stress performed on average 85.1 min/day of walking (WPA), 40.9 min/day of moderate PA (MPA) or 52.6 min/day of vigorous PA (VPA). People with good quality of sleep performed 82.9 min/day of WPA, 43.6 min/day MPA and 40.5 min/day VPA. Interpretation: The results from the study indicate that the volume of daily PA may be a predictor of the level of stress and sleep quality in adults during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. To retain a low level of stress and good quality of sleep, a lifestyle that allows to achieve a moderate level of physical activity should be maintained. The optimal daily dose of PA is at least 70 min per day, involving different intensities.

Keywords: pandemic; physical activity; quality of sleep; stress in COVID (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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