P046 More teaching, less sleeping: The impact of stressful periods of the school year on the sleep of Australian schoolteachers

Abstract Introduction There are approximately 270,00 schoolteachers in Australia and this population experience multiple stressors at work. This can lead to poor sleep quality and quantity and, consequently, adverse outcomes for both schoolteachers and students. While it is well-established that certain periods of the year may lead to increased stress for schoolteachers, the impact of this on sleep is unknown. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of stressful periods of the school year on the sleep of schoolteachers. Methods The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI) and questions on stressful school periods (including report writing, standardised testing, school appraisal, and teacher performance) were completed online by 775 Australian primary and secondary schoolteachers (89.1% female, 29.9% 25–34 years). Pearson Chi-square analyses were performed. Results Scores on the PSQI indicated that 611 (79.0%) of participants were experiencing poor sleep quality. There were significant relationships between each of the stressful periods of the year and PSQI score, such that increased stress during periods of report writing (p<0.001), standardised testing (p<0.001), school appraisal (p<0.001), and teacher performance (p<0.001) was associated with poor sleep quality. Discussion Australian schoolteachers are at risk of poor sleep quality and quantity, and this is exacerbated by stressful periods of the school year. Given the vital role schoolteachers play in the community, organisations should be mindful of these periods of the year in order to improve the sleep of schoolteachers.

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Comparing the Effects of FIFO/DIDO Workers Being Home versus Away on Sleep and Loneliness for Partners of Australian Mining Workers

Clocks & Sleep ◽

10.3390/clockssleep2010009 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 86-98

Author(s):

Kerrie-ann I. Wilson ◽

Sally A. Ferguson ◽

Amanda Rebar ◽

Kristie-Lee Alfrey ◽

Grace E. Vincent

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

Insufficient Sleep ◽

Work Arrangements ◽

Excessive Sleepiness ◽

The Impact ◽

At Home

Fly in Fly out/Drive in Drive out (FIFO/DIDO) is a prevalent work arrangement in the Australian mining industry and has been associated with adverse outcomes such as psychological stress, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and work/life interference. FIFO/DIDO work arrangements have the potential to not only impact the FIFO/DIDO worker, but also the partner of the FIFO/DIDO worker. However, there is sparse empirical evidence on the impact of FIFO/DIDO work arrangements on partners’ sleep and subsequent performance. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to describe and compare partners’ sleep quality, sleep duration, sleepiness, and loneliness when the FIFO/DIDO workers were at home (off-shift) and away (on-shift). A secondary aim of this study was to examine whether differences in partners’ sleep quality and sleep duration as a result of FIFO/DIDO worker’s absence could be partially explained through the presence of dependents in the home, relationship duration, chronotype, duration in a FIFO/DIDO role, and loneliness. Self-reported questionnaires were completed by 195 female and 4 male participants, mostly aged between 18 and 44 years and who had been in a relationship with a FIFO/DIDO mining worker for more than five years. Of note, most participants subjectively reported poor sleep quality, insufficient sleep duration, excessive sleepiness, and moderate to extreme loneliness compared to the general population regardless of whether the FIFO/DIDO workers were at home or away. Compared to when the FIFO/DIDO workers were at home, partners experienced reduced sleep quality and increased loneliness when the FIFO/DIDO workers were away. Secondary analyses revealed that loneliness may partially underpin the negative effect that FIFO/DIDO workers’ absence has on sleep quality. Further research is needed to understand the factors that contribute to poor sleep quality, insufficient sleep duration, excessive sleepiness, and loneliness of FIFO/DIDO partners to inform appropriate strategies to support FIFO/DIDO partners’ health and wellbeing not only in the mining population, but other industries that incorporate similar FIFO/DIDO work arrangements (e.g., emergency services, offshore drilling, and transport).

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Left superior temporal sulcus morphometry mediates the impact of anxiety and depressive symptoms on sleep quality in healthy adults

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience ◽

10.1093/scan/nsab012 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yanlin Wang ◽

Ping Jiang ◽

Shi Tang ◽

Lu Lu ◽

Xuan Bu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Superior Temporal Sulcus ◽

Healthy Adults ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Emotional Symptoms ◽

Neural Basis ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

The Impact

Abstract Anxiety and depressive symptoms may predispose individuals to sleep disturbance. Understanding how these emotional symptoms affect sleep quality, especially the underlying neural basis, could support the development of effective treatment. The aims of the present study were therefore to investigate potential changes in brain morphometry associated with poor sleep quality and whether this structure played a mediating role between the emotional symptoms and sleep quality. One hundred and forty-one healthy adults (69 women, mean age = 26.06 years, SD = 6.36 years) were recruited. A structural magnetic resonance imaging investigation was performed, and self-reported measures of anxiety, depressive symptoms and sleep quality were obtained for each participant. Whole-brain regression analysis revealed that worse sleep quality was associated with thinner cortex in left superior temporal sulcus (STS). Furthermore, the thickness of left STS mediated the association between the emotional symptoms and sleep quality. A subsequent commonality analysis showed that physiological component of the depressive symptoms had the greatest influence on sleep quality. In conclusion, thinner cortex in left STS may represent a neural substrate for the association between anxiety and depressive symptoms and poor sleep quality and may thus serve as a potential target for neuromodulatory treatment of sleep problems.

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1142 Comprehensive Phenotyping Of Ambulatory Sleep Patterns In Multiple Sclerosis

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.1136 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. A435-A435

Author(s):

T J Braley ◽

A L Kratz ◽

D Whibley ◽

C Goldstein

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Extreme Values ◽

Sleep Onset ◽

External Support ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Sleep Patterns ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

Historical Cohort ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction The majority of sleep research in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) has been siloed, restricted to evaluation of one or a few sleep measures in isolation. To fully characterize the impact of sleep disturbances in MS, multifaceted phenotyping of sleep is required. The objective of this study was to more comprehensively quantify sleep in PwMS, using a recently developed multi-domain framework of duration, continuity, regularity, sleepiness/alertness, and quality. Methods Data were derived from a parent study that examined associations between actigraphy and polysomnography-based measures of sleep and cognitive function in MS. Actigraphy was recorded in n=55 PwMS for 7-12 days (Actiwatch2®, Philips Respironics). Sleep metrics included: duration=mean total sleep time (TST, minutes); continuity=mean wake time after sleep onset (minutes), and regularity=stddev wake-up time (hours). ‘Extreme’ values for continuity/regularity were defined as the most extreme third of the distributions. ‘Extreme’ TST values were defined as the lowest or highest sixth of the distributions. Sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale score) and sleep quality [Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) sleep quality item] were dichotomized by accepted cutoffs (>10 and >1, respectively). Results Sleep was recorded for a mean of 8.2 days (stddev=0.95). Median (1st, 3rd quartile) values were as follows: duration 459.79 (430.75, 490.60), continuity 37.00 (23.44, 52.57), regularity 1.02 (0.75, 1.32), sleepiness/alertness 8 (4, 12), and sleep quality 1.00 (1.00, 2.00). Extreme values based on data distributions were: short sleep <=426.25 minutes (18%), long sleep >515.5 minutes (16%), poor sleep continuity ≥45 minutes (33%), and poor sleep regularity ≥1.17 hours (33%). Sleepiness and poor sleep quality were present in 36% and 40% respectively. For comparison, in a historical cohort of non-MS patients, the extreme third of sleep regularity was a stddev of 0.75 hours, 13% had ESS of >10, and 16% had poor sleep quality. Conclusion In this study of ambulatory sleep patterns in PwMS, we found greater irregularity of sleep-wake timing, and higher prevalence of sleepiness and poor sleep quality than published normative data. Efforts should be made to include these measures in the assessment of sleep-related contributions to MS outcomes. Support The authors received no external support for this work.

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Relationship Between Sleep–Wake Disturbance and Risk of Malnutrition in Hospitalized Patients With Cirrhosis

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.719176 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Yangyang Hui ◽

Xiaoyu Wang ◽

Zihan Yu ◽

Hongjuan Feng ◽

Chaoqun Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Nutritional Risk ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

Entire Cohort ◽

Related Quality ◽

Male Patients ◽

End Stage ◽

The Relationship

Both sleep–wake disturbance and malnutrition are common in cirrhosis and might be associated with similar adverse outcomes, such as impaired health-related quality of life, hepatic encephalopathy, and sarcopenia, but there is no study investigating the relationship between these two. We aimed to explore the relationship between sleep–wake disturbance [estimated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)] and malnutrition risk [estimated by the Royal Free Hospital-Nutritional Prioritizing Tool (RFH-NPT)]. About 150 patients with cirrhosis were prospectively recruited. The nutritional risk is classified as low (0 points), moderate (1 point), and high (2–7 points) according to the RFH-NPT score. A global PSQI >5 indicated poor sleepers. Furthermore, multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between sleep–wake disturbance and malnutrition. The median PSQI was seven, and RFH-NPT was two in the entire cohort, with 60.67 and 56.67% rated as poor sleep quality and high malnutrition risk, respectively. Patients with cirrhosis with poor sleep quality had significantly higher RFH-NPT score (3 vs. 1, P = 0.007). Our multivariate analyses indicated that male patients (β = 0.279, P < 0.001), ascites (β = 0.210, P = 0.016), and PSQI (β = 0.262, P = 0.001) were independent predictors of malnutrition. In addition, the differences regarding PSQI score were more significant in male patients, as well as those >65 years or with Child-Turcotte-Pugh class A/B (CTP-A/B) or the median model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) <15. Taken together, the sleep–wake disturbance is strongly correlated with high malnutrition risk in patients with cirrhosis. Given sleep–wake disturbance is remediable, it is tempting to incorporate therapies to reverse poor sleep quality for improving nutritional status in patients with cirrhosis.

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The Effect of Shift Fluctuations on Sleep Quality among Nurses Working in the Emergency Room in Amman, Jordan

International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health ◽

10.3126/ijosh.v10i1.29877 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 11-17

Author(s):

Khaled Suleiman ◽

Tarek Al-Khaleeb ◽

Mahmoud Al-Kaladeh ◽

Loai Abu Sharour

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Emergency Room ◽

Work Performance ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Emergency Rooms ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Public And Private ◽

Work Related ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Sleep Quality disturbances are common among nurses especially those working in stressful situations such as emergency room. Additionally, sleep quality disturbances were found to interfere with nurses’ quality of life and work performance. No studies have found the effect of fluctuated shifts on sleep quality among nurses. Objectives: To examine the impact of shift fluctuations on sleep quality among nurses working in the emergency room. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was employed. Five emergency rooms were selected from public and private hospitals located in Amman, Jordan. The selected hospitals were also referral sites with capacity of more than 200 beds. A convenient sample of nurses who had a minimum of six months experience in the emergency room and working on rotating shifts were eligible for participation. Nurses with known chronic respiratory problems and sleep apnea were excluded. A self-administered questionnaire including a demographic and work-related questions, and the Arabic version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were provided. Shift fluctuations were clustered based on interchanging between morning, evening and night shifts. Results: A total of 179 emergency nurses working in rotating shifts participated in the study. The majority of the nurses were poor sleepers. The study found no significant differences between different shifts interchange and sleep quality. However, interchange between morning and evening shift reported the highest sleep disturbance. Sleep quality was positively correlated with the length of experience, while negatively correlated with the age and the number of monthly shifts. Nurses who declared higher satisfaction and ability to work under pressure revealed better sleep quality. Conclusion: Emergency room nurses showed poor sleep quality. While there was no specific shift interchange cluster inducing poor sleep quality, some demographical and work-related characteristics indicated their influence on sleep quality.

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Assessing the impact of daylight exposure on sleep quality of people over 65 years old

Building Services Engineering Research and Technology ◽

10.1177/0143624419899522 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 183-192

Author(s):

Lorna Flores-Villa ◽

Jemima Unwin ◽

Peter Raynham

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Elderly Population ◽

The Elderly ◽

Physical Activities ◽

Sleep Disruption ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Ageing Population ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

Daylight Exposure ◽

The Impact

Due to our social behaviours, people spend at least 80% of their time indoors, mostly under artificial light. In research and building design, daylight is considered a valuable asset because it is the primary source of free, good quality light and it is suggested that it has a positive influence on human performance, health and sleep quality. There is a tendency in the population for increasingly poor sleep quality with age, and this affects at least 50% of the elderly population. Research on sleep disruption has found that especially in the elderly population, interrupted sleep can affect alertness, cognitive performance and mood. This increases the risk of falls, increases fatigue and reduces some other mental functions. Exposure to daylight (indoors and outdoors) is expected to reduce sleep disruption. Physical activities and sleep quality were assessed using 32 participants living independently in the UK, aged between 65 and 95 years old. The study was divided into two seasons due to a considerable difference in daylight availability in summer and winter. In each season participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire, Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and a seven-day sleep diary/log activity; where time spent outdoors was identified. It was expected that participants who reported less exposure to daylight during summer and winter would report worse sleep quality. However, this was not the case; subjective sleep quality did not differ greatly between summer and winter, even though exposure to daylight varies greatly between seasons. This study explores the relationship between exposure to daylight throughout two different seasons and people’s chronotypes, physical activities and sleep quality (between and within participants). This information is essential to find means of supporting an ageing population. Practical applications: In the built environment, daylight is an important feature to consider for the occupant’s health and wellbeing. This research provides real-world insight into the amount of daylight that active aged people are exposed to during two seasons in London, and how this could impact their overall sleep quality. The findings suggest that exposure to daylight could benefit people over 65 years old with poor sleep quality by reducing the number of awakenings during the night. This research provides a step towards understanding how daylight exposure effects people, and can be used to inform housing design for the ageing population.

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Examining the Impact of Employment Status on Sleep Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Two Low-Income Neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, PA

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab303 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew D Baird ◽

Tamara Dubowitz ◽

Jonathan Cantor ◽

Wendy M Troxel

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Low Income ◽

Employment Status ◽

Financial Strain ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

African American Adults ◽

American Adult ◽

The Impact

Abstract Study Objectives African Americans have faced disproportionate socioeconomic and health consequences associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study examines employment and its association with sleep quality during the initial months of the pandemic in a low-income, predominantly African American adult sample. Methods In the early months of COVID-19 (March to May 2020), we administered a survey to an ongoing, longitudinal cohort of older adults to assess the impact of COVID-related changes in employment on self-reported sleep quality (N=460; 93.9% African American). Participants had prior sleep quality assessed in 2018 and a subset also had sleep quality assessed in 2013 and 2016. Primary analyses focused on the prevalence of poor sleep quality and changes in sleep quality between 2018 and 2020, according to employment status. Financial strain and prior income were assessed as moderators of the association between employment status and sleep quality. We plotted trend lines showing sleep quality from 2013 to 2020 in a subset (n=339) with all four waves of sleep data available. Results All participants experienced increases in poor sleep quality between 2018 and 2020, with no statistical differences between the employment groups. However, we found some evidence of moderation by financial strain and income. The trend analysis demonstrated increases in poor sleep quality primarily between 2018 and 2020. Conclusions Sleep quality worsened during the pandemic among low-income African American adults. Policies to support the financially vulnerable and marginalized populations could benefit sleep quality.

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The impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the quality of sleep by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: A systematic review

Ciência & Saúde Coletiva ◽

10.1590/1413-81232021264.45952020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 1457-1466

Author(s):

Luiz Felipe Ferreira de Souza ◽

Laisa Liane Paineiras-Domingos ◽

Maria Eduarda de Souza Melo-Oliveira ◽

Juliana Pessanha-Freitas ◽

Eloá Moreira-Marconi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Quality Index ◽

Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Different Populations ◽

The Impact

Abstract This article aims to evaluate the sleep quality in individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Searches were conducted in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and PEDro databases, on May 22, 2020. In the publications, 208 articles were found and, considering the eligibility criteria, 10 articles were included at the end, showing the effects on sleep quality during the pandemic, in populations hospitalized, quarantined, and in frontline health professionals. The PSQI measured sleep disorders and a higher score indicated poor sleep quality. Nine articles were classified with evidence level IV and one as level III-2. Eight studies present a “serious” risk of bias and two in “moderate”. The studies investigated different populations and described the results as “poor” sleep quality, considering the PSQI on quarantined individuals and frontline health professionals as the most committed. A poor sleep quality was found in the populations evaluated in the selected publications, probably, due to the COVID-19 to contribute as a risk factor for mental health. Psychological interventions must be made to minimize the consequences through social support and social capital.

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Social Media Use, Unhealthy Lifestyles, and the Risk of Miscarriage Among Pregnant Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prospective Observational Study

JMIR Public Health and Surveillance ◽

10.2196/25241 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. e25241

Author(s):

Xiaotong Zhang ◽

Jue Liu ◽

Na Han ◽

Jing Yin

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Social Media ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Media Use ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

Social Media Use ◽

The Impact

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in changes to normal life and disrupted social and economic function worldwide. However, little is known about the impact of social media use, unhealthy lifestyles, and the risk of miscarriage among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective This study aims to assess the association between social media use, unhealthy lifestyles, and the risk of miscarriage among pregnant women in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Methods In this prospective cohort study, 456 singleton pregnant women in mainland China were recruited during January and February 2020. Sociodemographic characteristics, history of previous health, social media use, and current lifestyles were collected at baseline, and we followed up about the occurrence of miscarriage. Log-binomial regression models were used to estimate the risk ratios (RRs) of miscarriage for women with different exposures to COVID-19–specific information. Results Among all the 456 pregnant women, there were 82 (18.0%) who did no physical activities, 82 (18.0%) with inadequate dietary diversity, 174 (38.2%) with poor sleep quality, and 54 (11.8%) spending >3 hours on reading COVID-19 news per day. Women with excessive media use (>3 hours) were more likely to be previously pregnant (P=.03), have no physical activity (P=.003), have inadequate dietary diversity (P=.03), and have poor sleep quality (P<.001). The prevalence of miscarriage was 16.0% (n=73; 95% CI 12.6%-19.4%). Compared with women who spent 0.5-2 hours (25/247, 10.1%) on reading COVID-19 news per day, miscarriage prevalence in women who spent <0.5 hours (5/23, 21.7%), 2-3 hours (26/132, 19.7%), and >3 hours (17/54, 31.5%) was higher (P<.001). Miscarriage prevalence was also higher in pregnant women with poor sleep quality (39/174, 22.4% vs 34/282, 12.1%; P=.003) and a high education level (66/368, 17.9% vs 7/88, 8.0%; P=.02). In the multivariable model, poor sleep quality (adjusted RR 2.06, 95% CI 1.24-3.44; P=.006), 2-3 hours of media use daily (adjusted RR 1.74, 95% CI 1.02-2.97; P=.04), and >3 hours of media use daily (adjusted RR 2.56, 95% CI 1.43-4.59; P=.002) were associated with miscarriage. In the sensitivity analysis, results were still stable. Conclusions Pregnant women with excessive media use were more likely to have no physical activity, inadequate dietary diversity, and poor sleep quality. Excessive media use and poor sleep quality were associated with a higher risk of miscarriage. Our findings highlight the importance of healthy lifestyles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Rooming-In: Creating a Better Experience

The Journal of Perinatal Education ◽

10.1891/1058-1243.26.2.79 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 79-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lois O. Theo ◽

Emily Drake

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Postpartum Period ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

Early Postpartum Period ◽

Early Postpartum ◽

Semistructured Interviews ◽

Pros And Cons ◽

Postpartum Mothers ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACTThere are both pros and cons to the practice of rooming-in in the hospital after birth. One concern with rooming-in is the impact this experience has on postpartum mothers. Although rooming-in has many benefits, a challenge that mothers face in the early postpartum period is balancing the needs of their newborns while getting adequate rest. To explore this further, semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 postpartum mothers during their hospital stay. The results revealed how postpartum mothers perceived their sleep quality, rooming-in experience, and overall satisfaction. The majority (60%) of the postpartum mothers in this study had a positive rooming-in experience. Nevertheless, many factors were identified as contributors to poor sleep quality as well as positive and negative rooming-in experiences.

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