Research

Adherence

Negative changes in health behaviors (reduced physical activity, worsened sleep, increased smoking, or increased alcohol consumption) are significantly associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in adults during pandemic lockdowns.

During periods of high stress or restriction, be mindful of your habits. If you find yourself reducing exercise, sleeping poorly, or increasing alcohol/tobacco use, recognize that these changes are linked to higher anxiety and depression. Try to maintain or adapt positive behaviors (like home workouts or sleep hygiene) as a protective factor for your mental health, even if your environment has changed.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Negative changes in physical activity, sleep, smoking and alcohol intake were associated with higher depression, anxiety and stress symptoms.
Robert Stanton et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2020

Why this rating

The study is cross-sectional, establishing association but not causation, and relies on self-reported data.

Source

Depression, Anxiety and Stress during COVID-19: Associations with Changes in Physical Activity, Sleep, Tobacco and Alcohol Use in Australian Adults

Robert Stanton et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2020

DOI 10.3390/ijerph17114065

cross_sectional · n=1491Cited 1,442×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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