Higher vulnerability to poor circadian light hygiene in individuals with a history of COVID-19

Denis Gubin; Julia Boldyreva; Oliver Stefani; Sergey Kolomeichuk; Liina Danilova; Aislu Shigabaeva; Germaine Cornelissen; Dietmar Weinert

doi:10.1080/07420528.2024.2449015

Higher vulnerability to poor circadian light hygiene in individuals with a history of COVID-19

Chronobiol Int. 2025 Jan 6:1-14. doi: 10.1080/07420528.2024.2449015. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Denis Gubin^{1

2

3}, Julia Boldyreva⁴, Oliver Stefani⁵, Sergey Kolomeichuk^{6

7

8}, Liina Danilova², Aislu Shigabaeva¹, Germaine Cornelissen⁹, Dietmar Weinert¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory for Chronobiology and Chronomedicine, Research Institute of Biomedicine and Biomedical Technologies, Medical University, Tyumen, Russia.
² Department of Biology, Medical University, Tyumen, Russia.
³ Tyumen Cardiology Research Center, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry, Medical University, Tyumen, Russia.
⁵ Engineering and Architecture, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Horw, Switzerland.
⁶ Institute of Biology, Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Petrozavodsk, Russia.
⁷ Group of Somnology, Almazov National Research Medical Center, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
⁸ Laboratory for Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics, Research Institute of Biomedicine and Biomedical Technologies, Tyumen State Medical University, Tyumen, Russia.
⁹ Halberg Chronobiology Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
¹⁰ Institute of Biology/Zoology, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.

PMID: 39761104
DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2024.2449015

Abstract

Seven-day actigraphy was performed within 1 month in 122 community-dwelling adults (mean age 24.40 y, 31 (25.4%) men) in the same city of Tyumen, Russia. Groups with different COVID-19 status (present, COVID-19(+), n = 79 vs absent, COVID-19(-), n = 43) did not differ in mean age, gender distribution, or body mass index. Vaccination status was equally represented in the COVID groups. We found that COVID-19 status, a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, was differentially associated with daylight susceptibility. Daylight exposure was estimated using parametric and non-parametric indices: 24-h Amplitude, MESOR or M10 of white and blue light exposure (BLE) and compared between the groups. Distinctively in COVID-19(+) individuals, a smaller normalized 24-h amplitude of BLE (NAbl) was associated with lower circadian robustness, assessed by a smaller relative non-parametric amplitude (RA), a lower circadian function index (CFI), later bedtime, later onset of least active 5 h (L5), shorter total sleep duration, later phase and smaller circadian amplitude of physical motor activity. Such associations were absent in the overall COVID-19(-) population or in the vaccinated COVID(-) group. Considering COVID-status and light hygiene, defined as NAbl ≥ 1 versus NAbl < 1, only those with COVID(+) and NAbl < 1 (poorer light hygiene) had a statistically significantly delayed phase of activity and sleep, reduced circadian amplitude of physical activity, and lower circadian robustness. Accounting for gender and BMI, participants diagnosed with COVID-19 at an earlier date were older and had poorer circadian light hygiene. Altogether, our data suggest that those with COVID-19 were more vulnerable to circadian disruption due to poor circadian light hygiene, manifested as phase delay, small amplitude, a less robust circadian pattern of activity, and as delayed sleep. Our data suggest that the need for optimal circadian light hygiene is greater in individuals with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; Light hygiene; actigraphy; amplitude; circadian robustness; health; phase; sleep.