1108 Associations Between Insomnia And Anxiety Symptoms: Which Elements Of Insomnia Are Associated With Which Elements Of Anxiety?
Abstract Introduction It is still not clear which aspects of insomnia are associated with various aspects of anxiety problems. Knowing this could better guide treatment of insomnia comorbid with anxiety. Methods Data from the Sleep and Healthy Activity, Diet, Environment, and Socialization (SHADES) study were used, including N=1003 adults age 22-60. All participants completed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the GAD7 anxiety questionnaire. The ISI was divided into 3 sections, based on prior work: SLEEP symptoms (difficulty sleeping), DAYTIME symptoms (difficulty functioning), and PERCEPTION symptoms (dissatisfaction). GAD7 items included anxiety level, loss of control, worry about many things, difficulty relaxing, restlessness, irritability, and fear. Logistic regression analyses examined each symptom, with each component of the ISI as predictor, as well as age, sex, race/ethnicity and education as covariates. Results SLEEP symptoms were independently associated with control (OR=1.09, p=0.03), many worries (OR=1.1, p=0.017), restlessness (OR=1.1, p=0.009), and irritability (OR=1.1, p=0.04). DAYTIME symptoms were independently associated with anxiety level (OR=1.3, p<0.0005), control (OR=1.2, p<0.0005), many worries (OR=1.3, p<0.0005), difficulty relaxing (OR=1.2, p=0.004), restlessness (OR=1.3, p=0.001), and irritability (OR=1.2, p<0.0005). PERCEPTION symptoms were uniquely, independently associated with anxiety level (OR=1.1, p=0.03), control (OR=1.2, p=0.001), many worries (OR=1.2, p=0.001), difficulty relaxing (OR=1.4, p<0.0005), irritability (OR=1.2, p=0.018), and feelings of fear (OR=1.2, p=0.002). Conclusion The DAYTIME and PERCEPTION symptoms of insomnia were strongly related to anxiety symptoms. Current treatments for insomnia focus mainly on improving sleep. Future research should test the hypothesis that treating daytime symptoms of insomnia may aid patients with comorbid anxiety. Support The SHADES study was funded by R21ES022931. Dr. Grandner is supported by R01MD011600.