During Pandemic Year, Weight Gain, Drinking, Insomnia Spiked

The survey found that younger adults are most likely to admit their mental health has worsened: 46 percent of Gen Zers, 33 percent of Gen Xers, 31 percent of millennials, 28 percent of boomers and 9 percent of the Silent Generation reported those struggles.

Jennifer Kelly, president of the APA, noted that more support is needed for Black and Hispanic individuals, essential workers and parents who are experiencing a disproportionate share of pandemic stress.

"We must do more to support communities of color, essential workers and parents as they continue to cope with the demands of the pandemic and start to show the physical consequences of prolonged stress,” she said.

Racial disparites noted

It's not surprising that people were negatively affected by the pandemic, particularly when it comes to weight gain, says David Buchin, M.D., the director of bariatric surgery at Northwell Health Huntington Hospital in Huntington, New York.

"Everyone was stressed out and they turned to comfort foods,” he says. In addition, boredom, a lack of physical activity, and being stuck at home with easy access to the pantry and refrigerator didn't help.

The survey found Hispanic people were most likely to experience unintended physical changes during the pandemic:

• 71 percent of Hispanics experienced weight changes, compared with Blacks at 64 percent, whites at 58 percent and Asians at 54 percent
• 78 percent of Hispanics were having trouble with sleep, compared with Blacks at 76 percent, whites at 63 percent and Asians at 61 percent
• 87 percent of Hispanics experienced a change in physical activity levels, compared with Blacks at 84 percent, Asians at 81 percent and whites at 79 percent.

None of this is news to Brian Benavidez, 52, of Brooklyn, New York, who says the strain caused by the pandemic affected his sleep. Worries about his family's health, his job, and his son's schooling and socialization prevented him from falling asleep, and he would wake up during the night. “All those factors combined with unbelievably high levels of stress and it was difficult to get a good night's sleep,” he says.

Courtesy Brian Benavidez

In addition, he went from consuming half a beer a week to regular wine, beer and cocktail consumption several days a week. “It was stress and also boredom,” he says.

He managed not to gain weight, though, and instead spent his extra quarantine time exercising and even doing yoga for the first time in his life.

After his struggles with sleep, Benavidez developed strategies to improve his dozing hours, including not watching the news regularly, using a sleep mask and listening to podcasts to help him nod off. His alcohol consumption has tapered off, but not to pre-pandemic levels.

Tullock is also getting back on track, eating better and working with a trainer to exercise more. She's also been vaccinated, which has helped ease her stress levels.

"I feel like we are coming out of it,” she says. “I feel a little bit safer."

Michelle R. Davis joined AARP as a writer/editor/producer in 2020 and oversees the Home & Family section of aarp.org. Previously, she was the seniorwriter and social media strategist for EdWeek Market Brief and a senior correspondent at Education Week. She also spent five years as a regional correspondent in Knight Ridder’s Washington bureau, covering Congress and the White House. 

Peter Urban is a contributing writer and editor who focuses on health news. Urban spent two decades working as a correspondent in Washington, D.C., for daily newspapers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, California and Arkansas, including a stint as Washington bureau chief for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. His freelance work has appeared in Scientific American, Bloomberg Government and CTNewsJunkie.com.