Hokkaido University study finds COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted university students' health through sleep deprivation and lack of exercise
A research group at Hokkaido University conducted a study on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the health of university students. The results revealed that long-term self-restraint from going out and behavioral restrictions significantly disrupted the students' daily rhythms.
According to the survey, many students felt that their sleep quality had declined. Changes in lifestyle habits, such as staying up late and being unable to wake up at a regular time, have become one of the causes of deteriorating physical and mental health.
Furthermore, the decrease in physical activity is a serious issue. As a result of the prolonged lifestyle of refraining from going out, students have had fewer opportunities to move their bodies than before, leading to an increase in students who feel a decline in physical strength and a drop in mood. The research group points out that this lack of exercise is a major factor in the worsening of health.
Experts state that regulating daily rhythms is extremely important for protecting one's health. Moving forward, how to incorporate moderate exercise into university life and ensure high-quality sleep will be a major challenge for maintaining the health of students.