The Effect of Lockdown on Physiological Parameters of Sleep, Diet, Bowel Movement, Physical Activity, and Menstrual Cycle of Individuals Residing in Northeast India.

Background Lockdown is a state of confinement that results in changes to the environmental factors that otherwise help entrain to circadian rhythm, and hence the need arises to understand the changes to various physiological factors during lockdown. Methodology A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted using snowball sampling, including people residing in Northeast India. A chi-square test was applied for the association between variables. A two-tailed Z test was done to analyze significant changes between two proportions. Result The final sample size was 992, and the mean age was 27.38 ± 10.887 years. A significant delay in bedtime ( = 0.0271), an increase in sleep latency ( = 0.0083), screen time duration ( = 0.0293), daytime sleep ( = 0.0155), and restfulness of sleep ( < 0.00001), as well as a decrease in sleep without awakening ( = 0.0001), were observed during lockdown compared to before the lockdown. In subjects sleeping beyond 1 AM, a significant decrease in restfulness ( = 0.00084) and an increase in sleep latency of more than one hour ( = 0.00528) were observed. An increase in water intake (508, 52%), fruit juice consumption (452, 46.1%), vegetable consumption (516, 52.9%), snacking (515, 52.8%), and body weight (447, 46.3%), along with a decrease in junk food consumption (527, 54.5%), were observed during lockdown. A significant decrease in alcohol consumption was observed during ( = 0.00338) and after ( = 0.03572) the lockdown. Breakfast timing was delayed in 395 individuals (40.5%), with a significant delay noted in those sleeping beyond 1 AM ( = 0.00634). A significant decrease in the frequency of lower stool passage ( = 0.01314) and a reduction in formed stools ( = 0.01016), along with a decrease in morning defecation ( = 0.0001), were observed. A significant decrease in morning defecation was observed in those sleeping beyond 1 AM ( = 0.01208). The changes in restfulness, sleep disturbance, screen time duration, sleep latency, defecation timing, and alcohol consumption observed during lockdown persisted even after the lockdown. Conclusions The most significant changes were seen for sleep. Changes in diet were inclined toward positive health. Sleeping beyond 1 AM, however, predisposed to longer latency of sleep, reduction in restfulness of sleep, and delayed breakfast and defecation time. Some of the changes observed during lockdown persisted even after the relaxation of restrictions.