Professor Andrew Coogan
She describes it as “a phenomenon in which people who don’t have much control over their daytime life refuse to sleep early in order to regain some sense of freedom during late night hours”. Add in potentially problematic lockdown behaviours such as binge-watching TV, excessive time spent on devices, letting exercise fall by the wayside and an increase in alcohol consumption and it’s not surprising that sleep has taken a hit.
Long-term insomnia is a reason for concern. “Sleep problems that are chronic are associated with decreased daytime function; that is to say, impairments of cognitions such as attention, memory and reasoning,” says Professor Coogan. “Poor sleep is also strongly linked with low mood and anxiety. We are less well able to deal with daily hassles and stresses if we are experiencing sleep deprivation.” He notes that our individual need for sleep varies a lot between people.