UPR3212 - Institute of cellular and intergrative Neurosciences, CNRS UPR3212-Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences, Strasbourg, France.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Strasbourg University Hospitals, Strasbourg, France.
Autism Res. 2022 May;15(5):945-956. doi: 10.1002/aur.2692. Epub 2022 Mar 2.
COVID-related lockdown led to a radical modification of daily activities and routines which are known to affect sleep. Compared to the general population, participants with autism may be particularly vulnerable to the repercussions of lockdown on sleep, given their intrinsic inflexible adherence to routines and the high overall prevalence of sleep disturbances in this population. The study is a French nation-wide online survey assessing sleep-wake rhythms and behaviors known to affect sleep (daily screen time, daylight exposure, and physical activity), before and during COVID-related lockdown. Respondents were 207 adults with autism (56% female) and 1652 adults of the general population (77% female), with a mean age 35.3 years (SD 11.3). Before lockdown, the adults with autism displayed on average later bedtime and waking hours, lower sleep quality, more evening screen time, less exposure to daylight, and less exercise (all p < 0.01). Lockdown affected all studied measures of sleep and related exposures in a similar way in both groups: poorer self-rated sleep quality as well as a less regular and delayed sleep-wake rhythm, longer screen time in the evening and less exposure to daylight (all p < 0.001). Adults with autism displayed significantly higher levels of sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances and less favorable daily routines known to regulate sleep. While the effect of confinement on sleep and sleep related behaviors was similar in both groups, the results highlight that the pre-existing shift in circadian rhythms and lifestyles in adults with ASD further deteriorated during lockdown. LAY ABSTRACT: COVID-related lockdown led to a radical modification of daily activities and routines known to affect sleep. In a sample of 1800 adults, we observed that, before lockdown, participants with autism displayed significantly higher levels of sleep disturbances and less favorable daily routines known to regulate sleep, compared to the general population. While the deleterious effect of lockdown on sleep was similar in both groups, pre-existing difficulties in adults with autism reached worrying levels during lockdown.
COVID-19 相关的封锁导致了日常生活和常规的彻底改变，这些改变已知会影响睡眠。与一般人群相比，患有自闭症的参与者可能特别容易受到封锁对睡眠的影响，因为他们对常规的固有不灵活坚持以及该人群中睡眠障碍的高总体患病率。这项研究是一项法国全国性的在线调查，评估了睡眠-觉醒节律和已知会影响睡眠的行为（日常屏幕时间、日光暴露和身体活动），在 COVID-19 相关封锁之前和期间。受访者为 207 名自闭症成年人（56%为女性）和 1652 名普通成年人（77%为女性），平均年龄为 35.3 岁（SD 11.3）。在封锁之前，自闭症成年人的平均入睡时间和起床时间较晚，睡眠质量较低，晚上屏幕时间较多，日光暴露较少，运动较少（所有 p<0.01）。封锁以相似的方式影响了两组人群中所有研究的睡眠和相关暴露措施：自我报告的睡眠质量较差，睡眠-觉醒节律不规律且延迟，晚上屏幕时间延长，日光暴露减少（所有 p<0.001）。自闭症成年人表现出明显更高水平的睡眠和昼夜节律紊乱，以及调节睡眠的日常作息较差。虽然隔离对睡眠和睡眠相关行为的影响在两组人群中相似，但结果强调了 ASD 成年人中昼夜节律和生活方式的预先存在的转变在封锁期间进一步恶化。
