Prevalence and risk factors of sleep problems in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has altered people's lives worldwide and fostered the emergence of sleep problems. However, no systematic review and meta-analysis has yet been conducted to rigorously evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on sleep problems from a Bangladeshi perspective. As a result, the current systematic review and meta-analysis aims to fill this knowledge gap, which may lead to a better understanding of the prevalence and risk factors associated with sleep problems. To conduct this systematic review, PRISMA guidelines were followed; a literature search was conducted to include studies published till 5th March 2022 from the inception of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh searching databases such as PubMed, Scopus. A total of eleven studies were included. The JBI checklist was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. The overall estimated prevalence of sleep problems was 45% (95% CI: 32% to 58%, I2 =99.31%). General populations were more affected by sleep problems [52% (95% CI: 36% to 68%, I2 =98.92%)] than the healthcare professionals [51% (95% CI: 23% to 79%, I2 =97.99%)] (χ2 = 137.05, p <0.001). Additionally, results suggested that suffering from sleep problems were higher among female (OR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.29 compared to men); urban residents (OR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.55 to 2.02 compared to rural); and anxious person (OR: 5.15; 95% CI: 4.32 to 6.14 compared to non-anxious), whereas single participants less likely to suffer from sleep related problems (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.71 to 0.94). The prevalence rate of sleep problems was high and the general populations was at particularly high risk. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to investigate the trajectories of such sleep problems as a function of pandemic changes.